The thunder and lightning that crashed above Mirpur on Sunday evening before the Asia Cup final were a portent. For a brief period during the match, Bangladesh’s cricket-crazy populace had started to believe – amidst all hope – that victory was possible. When Mahmudullah smashed 21 off the the innings’ penultimate over and Al-Amin Hossain subsequently sent Rohit Sharma back in India’s second over, an improbable victory seemed in touching distance.
But just like the impassioned calm after the storm, it was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s flashing blade that ultimately consigned the disappointed Bangladeshi crowd into the darkness of the night.
Mid-table blues
Years from now, members of the audience may look back and agree that the result was not completely unexpected. For all the hype in the build-up to the match, India came in as overwhelming favourites. They were not even properly tested in any of the matches thus far. Bangladesh had played well, no doubt, but did not look much of a match for Dhoni’s men.
And that was how it turned out. But Bangladesh have every reason to feel proud. They gave India a far sterner test in the final than either Pakistan or Sri Lanka had done in the group stage. The team will look upon this loss as a watershed moment in a long journey. Bangladesh may no longer be the whipping boys of international cricket but they aren't a cricketing powerhouse, either. To draw a footballing comparison, they are a team that has done enough to propel themselves off the relegation zone and into mid-table. The push into the top-flight will come – it is inevitable considering the talent that exists in Bangladeshi cricket presently – but it will take time. It will take patience. And under their captain Mashrafe Mortaza, they are in good hands.
The return of the finisher
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will identify with Mortaza. The Indian captain will remember the time he first burst onto the scene in 2004 when India were in much the same situation as Bangladesh now find themselves. They were then the nearly men, getting close to major triumphs only to endure heartbreak at the last hurdle.
It took all of Dhoni’s tactical strength to guide Indian cricket into unfamiliar territory, where winning became a habit. As he prepares for one final flourish at the World Twenty20, he has yet again forged a team that on paper at least, looks unbeatable. India’s triumph in the Asia Cup seemed a foregone conclusion even before they had arrived in Bangladesh. There is an unspoken air of invincibility in the team which is reflected in their comprehensive victories. At the helm is Dhoni who seems to have regained his magical finishing touch of old, as he showed on Sunday, finishing off what seemed a tense game with a flurry of big shots.
So shattered Bangladeshi fans would do well to remember that beyond the heartbreak, there is redemption. Their team made the finals of the 2012 and 2016 Asia Cups and came close to winning both. Rome was not built in a day and nor will cricketing success arrive on a platter. But the foundations have been laid. And even if Mortaza’s band of plucky players fade away without much to show for their work, the next generation will undoubtedly reap the fruits of the seeds they have planted.
