NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has cautioned the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma not to underestimate Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series.
Bangladesh's recent 2-0 victory over Pakistan in a historic sweep has demonstrated their potential as a formidable opponent.
The team has a track record of surprising India and giving them tough competition in the past, as evidenced by their performances in the 2007 ODI World Cup, 2012 Asia Cup, and the unexpected series defeats in 2015 and 2022.
In the Dhaka Test two years ago, Bangladesh nearly achieved their first-ever Test win against India before Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin secured the victory for the Indian side.
"By beating Pakistan in both the Test matches played in Pakistan, the Bangladesh team have shown that they are a force to reckon with. Even a couple of years back, when India toured Bangladesh, they were given a good fight by the Bangladeshis. Now with the series win against Pakistan under their belt, they are primed to take on India too," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
Gavaskar also highlighted the presence of talented players in the Bangladesh team, including promising newcomers who no longer feel intimidated by their opponents.
"They have some fine players in their ranks and some new promising players who no longer have the awe of the opposition that seemed to characterise their early forays into the international game. Now, every team that play them know they can't put their guard down as they could be knocked down as the Pakistanis found out. It will certainly be a series to look forward to," Gavaskar said.
Currently, India top the WTC table with 74 points and a 68.52 percentage, narrowly ahead of second-placed Australia, while Bangladesh are close behind in fourth place.
