The cricketing rivalry between the Bangladesh national team and the India national team has developed into an attractive proposition over the last couple of decades; one with a fair share of ups and downs, twisted endings, gripping finishes, and an upward trajectory for a struggling team against a major world cricketing nation. While India has enjoyed the upper hand in each encounter (across formats), Bangladesh has had some significant success in matches that have gained them admirers and recognition in international cricketing contexts. In this article, we provide the Bangladesh National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline from when it began to where it is currently in terms of Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals (T20Is).
The Beginning: Bangladesh in the Test Arena
The first momentous milestone for this rivalry occurred in November 2000 when Bangladesh hosted India for their first Test match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. It was a big occasion for Bangladesh as it was their very first match in the elite format of cricket. Although India won the match by nine wickets, for Bangladesh, this would symbolize the start of something new.
India remained in total control throughout the early 2000s, winning both Tests on the 2004 tour, then Bangladesh drew with India at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in 2007; it was a marker of gradual but steady improvement in Test cricket. India quickly regained control of the rivalry, with innings victories and big winning margins throughout, highlighted by an innings and 239-run thumping in 2007.
One Day Internationals: From Underachievers to Party Poopers
Bangladesh and India met for the first time in an ODI in 1988 at the Asia Cup in Chittagong. In the early years between the two countries, Bangladesh was often outclassed and lost by large margins in one-sided defeats. This continued comfortably through the 1990s and into the 2000s, with India winning the majoirty of matches vs Bangladesh.
The first significant turning point came in December 2004 when Bangladesh shocked India, winning by 15 runs in Dhaka. It was Bangladesh’s first victory over India in ODI format, and it provided a huge boost in morale to a team that needed respect on stage.
A second pivotal moment in cricket occurred at the 2007 ICC World Cup, when Bangladesh defeated India by 5 wickets at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain. Not only did Bangladesh knock India out of the championship at the group stage, but it was the moment where Bangladesh were no longer seen as a sideshow. The upset still stands as one of the most memorable victories in World Cup history, and signalled a sense of competitiveness moving forward.
Since then, Bangladesh has shown improved performances, particularly in their home games, including one of their signature performances – a five wicket victory in the 2012 Asia Cup against India when they chased down a competitive total. Then, Bangladesh had a home ODI series in 2015, where they won the first two games of the series, ultimately winning the series 2-1 – a one-off and an early indication of Bangladesh becoming a more competitive limited overs playing nation.
Bangladesh clearly established that they could win against competitive teams in 2022 – in back-to-back games – by 1 wicket and 5 runs respectively, and if one is to include the earlier victory under the same banner, 2023 was another memorable chapter in their rivalry when Bangladesh won the 2023 Asia Cup by six runs.
That said, India has a stellar record overall in ODIs, with India winning 33 of 42 matches, and Bangladesh 8 victories and 1 no result. However, those 8 victories were no only wins in the statistical sense; they were emotional and tactical victories that pushed against what was understood defensively hierarchical status of Asian cricket.
T20 Internationals: One-sided history, but a flicker of hope
With reference to the shorter, adventurous format of the game, overall, the ODIS have been the severely one-sided series between the two teams. Considering that the teams played their first T20 International match against each other in the 2009 ICC World T20 at Trent Bridge (where India won), this record has persisted.
From 2009 to 2018, India experienced a run of winning all encounters. In matches so close like the 1 run game in 2016 ICC World T20 played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangladesh could not achieve victory. The defeat was even worse, as they needed only 2 runs off three balls and succumbed under pressure.
Then it looked as though the tide had turned in November 2019, when Bangladesh achieved their first and only T20I success against India (by 7 wickets) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. It was a small moment of joy, but it showed Bangladesh’s potential, even in T20 format.
Even after this victory there was no traditional rivalry for Bangladesh, as India regained dominance again in relatively convincing style and won all the subsequent meetings, often clinically and to the extent of a 133-run defeat in October 2024.
Since India won 16 of the 17 T20Is against Bangladesh, the gap in class was evident even if Bangladesh were working hard to become more fully established, consistent and break through.
Recent Developments and Current State of Play
In the past several years, the regularity and intensity of the contests among India and Bangladesh in ODIs has greatly picked up, particularly in 2022 and 2023. Bangladesh’s number of competitive matches versus India in the 2022, and 2023 seasons, especially in the Asia Cup, in narrowly winning, and winning a couple of tight games at home, show that the process of self-belief and tactical improvement demonstrate potential.
Bangladesh has, to date, not beaten India in Test cricket, but has played 15 matches in that format. In the most recent series of 2022-23, Bangladesh nearly won, narrowly losing by 3 wickets, in the Test played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, an indication of the closeness and competitiveness of what Bangladesh does have in Test cricket.
India’s dominance in Test and T20 cricket, is extraordinary based on their depth and bench strength, but with close finishes, it appears that Bangladesh is coming to a point in the timeline when they could possibly begin to narrow the gap.
Conclusion
From lower beginnings to giant killings, from one sided contests to tussles, the times have changed between Bangladesh and India in international cricket from a stance of evolution, progress and the appreciation of having the ability, to repay passion. India has had a timeline of matches played against Bangladesh, asserting itself across three formats; however, Bangladesh is improving to the point where it becomes not just raw numbers – it is now moments and stories of many more glories yet to come. The rivalry is an ongoing story, as every match writes a new chapter – and the wonderful point for followers of both countries is – you can expect much more BANG! BANG! BANG! in future contests.