Bangladesh have got off to a winning start in the Saff Championship 2021 after they edged Sri Lanka 1-0 in the tournament opener at National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives Friday, reports Goal.com.
They will next go up against India Monday.
In their previous encounter with the Blue Tigers, they were defeated 2-0 courtesy of a brace from Sunil Chhetri.
So this time they will have a point to prove against Igor Stimac's men.
But do they have enough firepower?
Goal.com tried to find out which team have players with better height and in this aspect, India clearly have an advantage over their neighbors.
Oscar Bruzon's first-choice keeper, Anisur Rahman Zico (175cm), might be known for his reflexes and agility but he is leagues behind India's Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (198cm) as far as their height and reach are concerned.
Similarly in defence, if Stimac chooses to field a three-man backline with Pritam Kotal/Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh and Subhasish Bose, India can dominate aerially against Bangladesh's forwards Suman Reza and Biplo Ahmed who are just 165cm and 167cm respectively.
However in midfield, the Bangla Tigers might have a slight advantage as they have the likes of Atiqur Rahman (177cm), Rakib Hossain (175cm), and Jamal Bhuiyan (173cm) who are taller than their Indian counterparts of Anirudh Thapa (169cm), Brandon Fernandes (167cm), and Suresh Singh (170cm).
But if Glan Martins (183cm) is given a start then the Goan can be a towering presence in the center of the park.
In attack, the scales once again tilt towards India.
Although Chhetri (170cm) is not one of the taller players on the pitch, his aerial abilities are well documented.
Whereas Manvir Singh (188cm) is taller than any of the other Bangladeshi defenders.
Even if Rahim Ali (179cm) takes the field on the left wing, he will be a handful for right-back Bishwanath Ghosh who stands at 165cm.
So it will not be surprising if India dominate the aerial duels on the field as they have taller players on the roster and the average squad height is significantly better than the opposition.
Goal.com has compared the height of each player of the respective squads in the tables below.
Goalkeepers
India | Height | Bangladesh | Height |
| Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | 198 cm | Anisur Rahman Zico | 175 cm |
| Vishal Kaith | 188 cm | Shahidul Alam Sohel | 191 cm |
| Dheeraj Singh | 184 cm | Ashraful Islam Rana | 180 cm |
| Average Height | 190 cm | Average Height | 182 cm |
Defenders
India | Height | Bangladesh | Height |
| Pritam Kotal | 179 cm | Topu Barman | 183 cm |
| Rahul Bheke | 180cm | Bishwanath Ghosh | 165 cm |
| Chinglensana Singh | 186 cm | Rahmat Miah | 170 cm |
| Mandar Rao Dessai | 170 cm | Tariq Raikhan Kazi | 179 cm |
| Subhasish Bose | 186 cm | Riyadul Hasan Rafi | 173 cm |
| Seriton Fernandes | 174 cm | Yasin Arafat | 170 cm |
| Average Height | 179 cm | Rezaul Karim | 170 cm |
| ------- | --- | Tutul Hossain Badshah | 183 cm |
| Average Height | 174 cm |
Midfielders
India | Height | Bangladesh | Height |
| Udanta Singh | 170 cm | Sohel Rana | 175 cm |
| Brandon Fernandes | 167 cm | Jamal Bhuiyan | 173 cm |
| Lalengmawia | 177 cm | Mohammad Hridoy | 173 cm |
| Anirudh Thapa | 169 cm | Saad Uddin | 175 cm |
| Sahal Abdul Samad | 176 cm | Rakib Hossain | 175 cm |
| Glan Martins | 183 cm | Atiqur Rahman Fahad | 177 cm |
| Jeakson Singh | 186 cm | Average Height | 174.66 cm |
| Suresh Singh | 170 cm | ----- | --- |
| Liston Colaco | 178 cm | ----- | --- |
| Yasir Mohammad | 169 cm | ----- | --- |
| Average Height | 174.5 cm | ----- | --- |
Forwards
India | Height | Bangladesh | Height |
| Manvir Singh | 188 cm | Biplo Ahamed | 167 cm |
| Rahim Ali | 179 cm | Mahbubur Rahman | 165 cm |
| Sunil Chhetri | 170 cm | Mohammad Ibrahim | 173 cm |
| Farukh Choudhary | 180 cm | Matin Miah | 165 cm |
| Average Height | 179.25 cm | Suman Reza | 165 cm |
| ----- | --- | Jewel Rana | 170 cm |
| ----- | --- | Average Height | 167.5 cm |
Source: Goal.com
