Published By: Sayan Guha

Two Test Matches Where Bangladesh Held India to a Draw

When resilience and a little bit of luck helped Bangladesh avoid defeat against India

As Rohit Sharma and his men prepare to play Bangladesh in a two-match Test series beginning on September 19th, excitement is in the air. Sure, India's dominance in these games is well known, but cricket's appeal stems from its unpredictability.

Bangladesh may not have found the recipe to defeat India in Tests yet, but there have been times when they've held their own—times when perseverance and luck helped them avoid loss. As both sides prepare to face off, let's look back at the only two times Bangladesh has been able to force a draw against the powerful Indian squad.

The first draw: Chattogram, 2007 – Grit meets determination

In 2007, Chattogram hosted a landmark event in Bangladesh cricket. India entered the match confidently as usual, but the Tigers had other ideas.

The match began like many others have, with India piling up the runs. Sachin Tendulkar (101) and Sourav Ganguly (100), two Indian cricket legends, struck hundreds that were almost too easy. India declared at 387/8, and the match appeared to be slipping away from Bangladesh.

But this is when things got interesting. Mashrafe Mortaza, a man most known for his bowling, opted to play hero with both ball and bat. First, he grabbed four wickets to end India's run-fest. Then, when Bangladesh batted, Mortaza top-scored with a tough 79. Sure, Bangladesh was still far behind (238), but Mortaza's heroics kept them going.

Now consider this: it's simple to give up when you're up against a team as formidable as India, and you know you're losing. But Bangladesh did not. Instead, in their second innings, India declared at 100/6, giving Bangladesh a target of 250 runs. And this is where the Tigers dug down. Javed Omar batted patiently and undefeated for 52 runs, leading his team to 104/2 when the match finished in a draw.

The second draw: Fatullah, 2015 – Saved by the rain gods

Fast forward to 2015, and we find ourselves at Fatullah. This time, the match went a little differently. It was less about Bangladesh's fightback and more about the weather taking the stage.

India started strong—very strong. Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay seemed unstoppable, scoring 173 and 150, respectively. By the time India declared at 462/6, it appeared like the match was destined for an Indian victory.

But then it rained—and not just a slight drizzle—heavy, match-changing rain. Owing to inclement weather, 248 overs were missed, making what could have been a conventional India victory much less predictable. When Bangladesh eventually had their time to bat, they were bowled out for 256, and India forced a follow-on, hungry to win.

Just as things were heating up, Bangladesh was at 23/0 in their second innings when the rain returned, and the game was over. The match ended in a draw, but let's be honest: that wasn't Bangladesh's most outstanding performance on the pitch. 

Surviving against the odds

The underlying thread between both draws is that Bangladesh, a side that has struggled against India in Test cricket, avoided loss in two very different ways. In Chattogram, pure grit and astute cricket rescued them. They battled tooth and nail, and each run seemed like a minor win. In contrast, Fatullah was more concerned with what nature determined rather than what Bangladesh did. Sometimes, that's simply how things go—rain may be the ultimate game changer.