Tigers reach India with Shakib-sized chasm

When it comes to playing India in India, most teams around the world count on the best preparation in the lead-up to the tour to have a chance in arguably cricket’s most challenging tour. Yesterday, however, a Bangladesh squad departed for New Delhi for a monthlong T20I and Test tour with a lead-up that was chaotic, and which culminated in the players learning on the eve of their departure that their best player and captain Shakib Al Hasan had been banned for two years by the ICC.

Bangladesh reached New Delhi yesterday evening, where they will play the first of three T20Is.

Perhaps more than a cricket-crazy nation, the players themselves would have been shocked by Shakib’s ban for not reporting three separate corrupt approaches by a bookmaker from January to April 2018. The second of the two years will be a suspended sentence provided Shakib satisfies ICC’s conditions during the first year.

The ban came after Shakib had extended his identity as a leader on the field to one off it by spearheading a three-day players’ strike last week to improve the income and benefits of domestic cricketer. To top it off, Bangladesh will also be without another dressing-room leader in opener Tamim Iqbal, who is sitting out the tour to be with his pregnant wife.

Stepping into fill the enormous vacuum will be the experienced Mahmudullah Riyad -- who was named captain for the T20Is beginning from November 3 -- and Mominul Haque, a somewhat surprising choice to lead in the Tests given that he is not known as one of the leaders within the team.

Adding to that is the gulf in quality between the teams. India are ranked fifth in T20Is while Bangladesh are 10th. The challenge is even steeper in Tests for the ninth-ranked Tigers as they will be facing up in the two Tests against the top-ranked side in the world.

If that was not enough, Bangladesh will be playing their first ever day-night Test in the second match in Kolkata. Bangladeshi players only played one longer-version match in the final of the Bangladesh Cricket League in 2013. It will also be the first match with the pink ball for India, but they will be at a decided advantage given that they are the home team as well as having far greater longer-version pedigree.