Ad wars: Cutting-edge technology

The contest between Bangladesh and India has heated up in the advertising world with a satirical promotion of an industrial cutter in Prothom Alo, a leading daily in Bangladesh.

It depicts Mustafizur Rahman, the 19-year old left-arm seamer, holding the cutter aloft and members of the Indian ODI team in the foreground with half their heads shaved. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin have also been photoshopped into holding a banner which reads: "We've used the cutter. Now you can use it too."

Subtleties aside, there is a history to this rivalry. The Bangladesh fans had felt irked by the mauka mauka ad that poked fun of the oppositions India had beaten in the World Cup. And they threw it back at the Indian team with feral chants of mauka mauka repeatedly. Then there was the Bachcha re Bachcha ad for the tour itself which called Bangladesh the little kid that was not so little any more. The PA in Mirpur took the opportunity to play it soon after the hosts had won the series and post scripted it with, "We are not kids. We are tigers."

Several Indian newspapers have carried stories of outrage as a result of the ad. Some of the Bangladesh public took to Prothom Alo's facebook page with accusations of poor taste.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play their maiden Test on Indian soil in 2016 and it looks like there won't be any shortage in the build-up.