The two SAFF nations, India and Bangladesh have locked horns on 35 occasions since their first meeting in 1978. Understandably, the Blue Tigers have dominated this fixture with 16 wins compared to Bangladesh's merely two victories. However, the massive number of draws between the two sides shows that the team currently ranked 185 has managed to hold their more vigorous opposition more often than not. Bangladesh has not won a single game in this fixture in 25 years while India’s struggle has also been visible managing just one win in the last five meetings.
This fixture has been played most often in the SAFF Championship, with 13 games. The rest have been qualifiers for the World Cup or the Asian Cup, and only two games have been friendlies. The early meetings came in the Asian Games where the Blue Tigers came up top on each occasion without conceding a goal. India scored 43 goals in this fixture, while Bangladesh, despite its defensive nature, has kept just six clean sheets. The Bengal Tigers have also not shined on the other end of the pitch, managing only 19 strikes.
India vs Bangladesh Head-to-head meetings
Played - 35
India won - 16
Drawn - 13
Bangladesh won - 2
India vs Bangladesh Goals Scored
India scored - 43
Bangladesh scored - 19
India vs Bangladesh Clean Sheets
India clean sheet - 16
Bangladesh clean sheet - 6
Memorable Meetings
India 2-0 Bangladesh - People’s Stadium, Karachi (SAFF Championship final, 17 December 2005)
India has claimed several crucial victories in this fixture but the 2005 SAFF Championship win over Bangladesh will stand out because it helped them lift the trophy. The Indian team was led by Bhaichung Bhutia, who was named the most valuable player of that edition, alongside emerging stars like Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Steven Dias and Mehtab Hossain. Experienced heads like Sandip Nandy in goal and Alvito D'Cunha in attack struck a perfect balance into the team. Before meeting in the final, the two faced each other in the group stage ending all square. Although both ended on equal points, Bangladesh won the group on goal difference resulting in India facing Group A winners Maldives in the semifinals.
However, no circumstances would have prevented the two best teams of the tournament from facing each other again this time at the showpiece. The Blue Tigers weren’t going to miss the opportunity to beat the holders and establish their position on top of the SAFF nation again so they produced a dominating display in the final. Mehrajuddin Wadoo got on the end of a cross from Venkatesh Shanmuganathan to give India the lead inside half an hour, something they managed to hold on this time after throwing away the advantage in the group meeting. Scorer of the winner against the same opponents in the 1999 SAFF final, Bhutia put the icing on the cake in the 81st minute to claim the fourth SAFF title for India.
India 0-1 Bangladesh - Rangashala stadium, Kathmandu (South Asian Federation Games, 26 December 1999)
With just two wins under the belt, Bangladesh have almost nothing to cheer for but their last win over the Blue Tigers 25 years ago became memorable. The setting was the semifinal stage of the South Asian Federation Games with the neighbouring nation entering as underdogs having finished second in their three-team group. India was as usual favourite for the tie having cruised through the group stage winning all their matches, scoring 12 goals and conceding just twice. The Blue Tigers boasted one of their best strikers and top-scorer of the edition, I. M. Vijayan in the ranks, already bagging back-to-back hattricks in the competition. The team also defeated Bangladesh in the SAFF Championship final held earlier that year.
However, India was in for a surprise this time as the match did not go as expected from them. Bangladesh frustrated India’s ever-firing frontline with solid work at the back patiently waiting for their chance to pounce. The opportunity fell to Shahajuddin Tipu who did not disappoint, scoring past the hour mark. Bangladesh held on for the rest of the match, preventing the Blue Tigers from finding an equaliser and securing their place in the final. The victory gave them enough motivation to defeat the host Nepal in the showpiece, clinching the Gold medal in the process.
Top-scorer: Sunil Chhetri (6 goals)
India’s talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri is the top scorer in this fixture with Bangladesh being among his favourite opponents to score against. The captain scored six goals in just four matches against the fellow SAFF nation, including a last-minute goal from a brilliant free-kick to secure a point in their first meeting back in 2013. The third-most active goalscorer in international football has been a clutch player for India on all occasions and an arch-nemesis to Bangladesh. He rescued the side from another defeat in this fixture the following year with a crucial brace and produced another double in the 2-0 World Cup qualifiers victory in 2021. Chhetri has been a saviour for India repeatedly in this meeting, arguably making him the man for this game.
India vs Bangladesh Last Five Meetings
Bangladesh 1-1 India - SAFF Championship (3 September 2013)
India 2-2 Bangladesh - International Friendly (5 March 2014)
India 1-1 Bangladesh - FIFA World Cup 2022 AFC qualifiers (15 October 2019)
Bangladesh 0-2 India - FIFA World Cup 2022 AFC qualifiers (7 June 2021)
Bangladesh 1-1 India - SAFF Championship (4 October 2021)