ICC Champions Trophy 2017: From one-run wins to viral controversies, the five most feisty India-Bangladesh clashes

With two wins on either side of the loss against Sri Lanka, India finished as Group B toppers to surge into the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals. Meanwhile, a washed out game against Australia and a historic run chase against New Zealand ensured a spot for Bangladesh in the final four, a feat they have never achieved before. Bangladesh can go one step further on Thursday. But standing in their way are India, who they are starting to develop a rivalry with. As they go head to head in the semi-final, here’s a look at the top five clashes between the two sides: Where it all began [caption id=“attachment_3646081” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim (R) and Mohammad Ashraful celebrate the historic World Cup win against India. Reuters[/caption] India had lost to Bangladesh before in 2004, but at Port of Spain’s Queen’s Park Oval, when India were beaten by five wickets, it was an upset which stunned the entire cricketing world. The formidable Indian side were left dazed and crestfallen. While for India the defeat in the group fixture of the World Cup in the Caribbean eventually resulted in an early first round exit from the tournament, for Bangladesh it was a spectacular moment in their short cricketing history — one which helped them discover their future heroes. Mashrafe Mortaza (4/38), Tamim Iqbal (51), Shakib Al Hasan (53) and Mushfiqur Rahim (56*) all played instrumental roles in the famous win. Today all four are regarded as role models in Bangladesh and each one of them will feature in Thursday’s game against India. The monkey is off the back [caption id=“attachment_3646141” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] India’s Virender Sehwag celebrates scoring his century during the World Cup match against Bangladesh. Reuters[/caption] When they faced off in the 2011 World Cup opener in Mirpur, India were looking to get rid of the ghosts of the 2007 World Cup. Bangladesh, on the other hand, were looking to start on a positive note. Despite losing Sachin Tendulkar to a silly run out early in the game, tons from Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli helped India amass a massive total of 370. The packed Mirpur crowds supported their team till the very end, but once they lost Tamim Iqbal for 70 and Shakib Al Hasan for 55, they ran out of steam to mount a challenge to the Men in Blue. Kohli became the first Indian to score a century in a World Cup debut match as India won by 87 runs. Outrage in Dhaka [caption id=“attachment_3646153” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] India’s Shikhar Dhawan juggles a catch near the boundary rope to dismiss Bangladesh batsman Mahmudullah. Reuters[/caption] Though the margin of India’s victory — 109 runs — would make it seem like it was a one-sided affair, Bangladeshi fans would disagree. A couple of controversial umpiring decisions, including a waist-high no-ball to Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan’s catch on the boundary, went in India’s favour, much to Bangladesh’s chagrin. The result caused protests marches in Dhaka, terming the World Cup quarter-final an ‘international conspiracy’ against Bangladesh. Subsequently, ICC president Mustafa Kamal, a Bangladesh native, resigned in protest claiming ‘India had influenced the game’. Even the Prime Minister of Bangladesh said it was an umpiring error that cost them the game. Rivalry goes viral [caption id=“attachment_3646187” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] File image of Mustafizur Rahman celebrating a wicket. Reuters[/caption] Hosting India for a three-match series, Bangladesh sealed the issue by winning the second match by six wickets on the trot at Mirpur. It was the first time they had beaten India in a bilateral competition. It marked the beginning of Mustafizur Rahman, who beguiled everyone including the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, and ended up picking 11 wickets in the first two games thereby capping a sensational debut series. Despite the brilliant on-field performances, off-field controversy soon became the bigger talking point as a Bangladeshi newspaper posted a photo of half-shaven heads of Indian players with Rahman in the background holding a razor — a metaphorical nod to his adroit cutters which outfoxed the Indian batsmen. The image drew the ire of the Indian fans after it went viral on social media. The series win had great significance as it gave Bangladesh points that were important to qualify for the ongoing Champions Trophy. MS Dhoni’s quick feet lead to memorable feat [caption id=“attachment_3646171” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] India’s captain MS Dhoni dashes to run Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman out. India win a thrilling contest by 1 run. Reuters[/caption] Arguably the most nerve-wrangling contest in the tournament, where India conjured a remarkable turnaround to snatch a one-run victory over Bangladesh. With two runs required off three balls to knock India out of the World T20, Bangladesh’s hara-kiri left them and their fans in dismay and tears. But it took a phenomenal effort by then India skipper, MS Dhoni, who sprinted nearly 20 yards to run out Mustafizur Rahman and take his side into the knockouts on the final ball of the match.