Bangladesh prepared for India test

Dhaka, 24 March - Bangladesh is looking forward to starting their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers campaign on a high note when they face their arch-rival India in the much-anticipated grudge match scheduled to be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, India.

The match kicks off at 7:30pm (Bangladesh time). 

The boys in red and green are going to play their first international match of this year after ending 2024 on a decent note. They won three of their four matches last year, including two friendlies. The Jamal Bhuyan and Co. must be aiming to continue their progression and qualities by frustrating the home side.  

Though ranked 185 in FIFA rankings, Bangladesh has proved one of the tough opponents for 126-ranked India in the recent years in the SAFF region. Bangladesh, with a very young squad mixed with a few experienced players, formed quite strong squad that can cause the concern any opponent on their day. 

Bangladesh's biggest strength has been their head coach, Javier Cabrera, who has successfully instilled the fighting mentality into his boys. 

Bangladesh will be boosted by the presence Leicester City star midfielder Hamza Choudhury, who is likely to make his debut for Bangladesh in the first match of the Asian Cup. 

On the other hand, India will begin their Asian Cup qualifying campaign against Bangladesh. This will be the first time Shillong hosts a qualifying match in history and the home side have a lot of expectations on their shoulders. 

Before the match against Bangladesh, India recently played a friendly match against the Maldives and won by 3-0, courtesy of goals from veterans Rahul Bheke and star forward Sunil Chettri, who came out of retirement to rejoin the team. 

India will take to the field with an upper hand, having a good record against Bangladesh and they must be confident going into this match and upbeat to give their best to start their campaign positively. 

Bangladesh also added some new faces to their squad and they are full of confidence about getting a good result against India. Though there is a big difference in both teams' FIFA Rankings, it doesn't define the qualities of both teams.

India vs Bangladesh head-to-head records

Bangladesh and India have faced each other 31 times, of theses India won 16 matches, 13 ended in draws and Bangladesh won two games. In the last five fixtures, four ended in draws and India won one. 

Date result            competition
03/09/2013  Bangladesh 1-1 India  SAFF Championship
05/03/2014  India 2-2 Bangladesh  Int'l friendly 
15/10/2019  India 1-1 Bangladesh  World Cup qualifiers 
07/06/2021  Bangladesh 0-2 India  World Cup qualifiers 
04/10/2021  Bangladesh 1-1 India  SAFF Championship.BSS