Indians not to take Bangladesh lightly

As one arrives in Dhaka for the first time, it is impossible not to recall the momentous events of 29 years ago, particularly as from the airport to the hotel, one encounters the names of places that are interlinked with the Bangladesh liberation struggle - Comilla, Jessore, Rajshahi, Chittagong. Also still fresh in one's ears is Indira Gandhi's ringing voice during her most triumphant hour when she announced to a cheering Parliament on that cool, wintry evening ``Bangladesh has been liberated. Dhaka is now a free capital of a free country,'' shortly after the enemy forces in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) had surrendered to the Indian army.

That day marked the birth of a nation, even if Bangladesh had already declared their independence in March that year. Today the country of 120 million people prepares to celebrate another birth - the birth of Bangladesh Test cricket. There is a perceptible air of excitement in the capital as its numerous cricket fans get ready to welcome the big day in their cricket history - Friday, November 10 which is the opening day of their inaugural Test against India at the Bangabandhu stadium.

There is no mistaking the historic occasion and Dhaka and the Bangladesh Cricket Board are sparing no effort in making it a truly memorable one. And the BCB will obviously be hoping that the occasion inspires its national team to dizzy heights. A victory in their first ever Test match? Well, going by the upbeat mood here, the answer would seem to be why not. It does not matter to the cricket fan here that the country's record in first class cricket is woeful. Even the large scale international criticism against awarding Test status to Bangladesh is shrugged off. It also does not matter that the feat of winning their inaugural Test has been performed only once and that happened 123 years ago in the first ever Test match played. To the average cricket fan, it seems that only the motto of the karate masters is what matters: ``Nothing is impossible.''

But to the average cricket fan the world over, the Test is another case of the slaughter of the innocents. The international cricketing fraternity seems convinced that Bangladesh will go the way of the seven other nations - England, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - which went down in their first ever Test matches. The ninth Test playing nation Zimbabwe drew their inaugural Test against India at Harare in 1992. In India, particularly the mood borders on overconfidence. So much so, that only the margin of India's victory and when that victory will come about is being debated.

But then of course overconfidence is one thing an international team can do without. Perhaps at this juncture, it is worth recalling what happened in a similar situation 18 years ago in India's first Test against Sri Lanka at Madras. It was not Sri Lanka's first ever Test. They had already played four, losing three and drawing one. There was nothing in these games to indicate that they could stretch an Indian team which had an awesome record at home having lost only one of the previous 27 Tests. As on the current occasion, only the margin of India's victory was being debated. And yet, the Test ended with the hunter becoming the hunted. Nine Sri Lankan fielders surrounded the bat as Sunil Gavaskar and Yashpal Sharma struggled to save the Test with India having lost seven wickets.

Whether Sourav Ganguly is aware of the events of 18 years ago or not, he knows that there is no place for overconfidence. ``We take Bangladesh as any other Test opposition,'' the Indian captain said at a press conference shortly after the team's arrival in Dhaka on Tuesday. Perhaps he was also aware of the fact that India has not won an overseas Test since they won in Sri Lanka in 1993. Well, the game starting on Friday gives the Indians their best chance of another victory in the subcontinent even though their last victory outside the region still remains against England in 1986.