Bangladesh played their inaugural Test match against India on November 10, 2000 under the captaincy of Naimur Rahman in Dhakar. (PTI/Reuters)
For Bangladesh, a Test series against India is a throwback to gaining Test status by the International Cricket Council (ICC), a call that was pushed by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).
The wheels were set in motion at the 1999 ODI World Cup, where Bangladesh made their first-ever appearance in the tournament’s history.
At the tournament, the debutants defeated Scotland to register their first-ever win and even registered an enormous upset by besting one of the favorites, Pakistan by 62 runs.
It was a driving factor, but the real push came from former BCCI President and the-then ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, who in 2000 helped Bangladesh become the 10th country to gain the Test playing status by a unanimous vote.
Bangladesh then played their inaugural Test match against India on November 10, 2000 under the captaincy of Naimur Rahman in Dhakar. Led by Sourav Ganguly, India would best the hosts by a comprehensive margin of nine wickets.
However, Animul Islam went on to become the first Bangladeshi to score a ton in the longest format of the game – a resilient 145 runs off 380 balls.
An emotional hug
Speaking to The Daily Star, Islam would share the overwhelming emotions that took over when he first realized Bangladesh had attained Test status.
It was upon the persistence of the-then ICC President, Jagmohan Dalmiya (right) that Bangladesh played their first-ever Test against a Sourav Ganguly-led India. (Express photo)
“I remember that day when we got the Test status. I used to play for a club in England back then,” Islam said.
“I remember it was about 11 or 12 in the afternoon and I was standing outside the meeting room at Lords. (Mohammad) Ashraful bhai, in teary eyes, came to me and hugged me as he said, ‘Bulbul, we were unanimously voted for the Test status. We got it.’ Saber bhai joined us later and we three celebrated vigorously,” he added.
Long wait for first triumph
Following their first Test against India, Bangladesh went on to lose 15 Test series – losing 28 off the 31 Tests they played during the same.
Their first match/series win came five years after they played their first Test – in 2005 – against Zimbabwe in a two-match series. Following that, they’d have to wait for another four years for their next series win, which was their first away series win – against West Indies.
As of 2024, Bangladesh have won only eight Test series. Against India, Bangladesh has played 14 Test matches but is yet to register a win, having lost 13 times and drawn once.
