Green islands swamped by sea of blue

The Bangladeshi fans, most of them from Sydney, were the first to arrive at the ground, a good few hours before the start of one of the biggest games in their team's history. A World Cup knockout.

Their team deservedly made it to the quarter-final on the back of consistent and tough cricket. That's what they came to see, driving a long way straight to the ground in cars and family vans, sombrero hats and green t-shirts, Bangladesh flags flapping from their windows. The concourse outside the ground was green.

"It was a big occasion for our team, so we travelled the distance," said one. "I told my boss I need a day-off. Had he not given it, I would have happily resigned," said another.

They filled the stands first. "Bangladesh, Bangladesh, Tigers, Tigers," they danced when their team was stretching in the outfield, an hour before the start. And they came with their props: the stuffed tigers, the numerous flags - the green with the red dot and the original one too, the green with the red dot with the map of the country in yellow.

They said they were 30,000 of them in the ground. They were probably less than 30 per cent among 50,000 present, but they certainly sounded like 30,000. By the time the match started, the ground was mostly blue with islands of green; islands that stood tall like mountains and competed with the Indians roar for roar, flag-wave for flag-wave. They were outnumbered, but by no means, outshouted. But by the end of the day, they were not just disappointed, they felt "angry" and "excluded".

"We knew India were too strong, but we wanted to see a good game, to see our team compete," said Rimon, another fan from Sydney who lasted the whole game to see Indian fans partying around the ground. "You saw those decisions on the big screen. We would have still lost, that is not the point, but it leaves a bad taste."

"This was supposed to be a World Cup game," Rimon's friend said. "Not some bilateral series being played in India. It was as if India were playing a home game. There were no Bangla songs being played, only Indian songs. What kind of a World Cup is that?"

Maintaining extreme level of energy over a period of more than seven hours is a skill that the subcontinent followers have in truckloads; they do it with ease, game after game, but they do need their recharge. Roving groups, popular numbers - these are fuels that keep them going. There is no doubt that there was more English pop music than Indian, but that there was barely any Bangla music was glaring too, even when Bangladesh were doing well.

They competed for 60% of the first innings. India started well but the moment the bails flashed for the first time, you could have been in Dhaka. Shakib Al Hasan was bowling, Shikhar Dhawan missed, Mushfiqur Rahim flicked the bails off - the crowd was not going to wait for a decision. When the large screen confirmed the dismissal, the roar generated from different corners bounced around and grew louder. Louder still once Virat Kohli was dismissed. All until Rohit Sharma was reprieved.

"When you see that kind of decision on the big screen, you lose faith in the game," said a father who had flown from Sydney with his young son. His wife added: "Everything seemed to exclude Bangladesh. We were here for the match against Sri Lanka, the one we lost, but in the stands, it was enjoyable. We know India run cricket, but when you put advertising like Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega [India will win, India will] on the big screen throughout the game, how are the supporters from the other side going to feel?"

In the tightly-packed lower-tier, just behind the bowler's arm, Bangladesh supporters found voice, briefly in the second innings. Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes set in motion their most confident start in this World Cup yet. When Tamim hit Mohammed Shami for three fours in an over, the entire stand stood up, bouncing, with their flags fluttering in the strong breeze. From behind them, you saw the game from their perspective; manic and energetic, like being at the Shere Bangla.

Then just as Tamim edged behind, you realised there were Indians in the stand too, more than the Bangladeshis. In a second, the stand changed its hue from green to blue. It never changed colour again. By the time, Mushfiqur top-edged Umesh Yadav in the 36th over, the result was a foregone conclusion. What was surprising to see was blank spaces in the stands. Most Bangladeshis had already left.

An hour after the finish, an elderly man in a Bangladesh shirt made his way through groups of partying Indians. He was alone. When asked how he felt about the match, he gave an alternate view: "It was good. We played this World Cup very well. I am proud of it." On a disappointing night for Bangladesh fans, he was also probably the only one to spot a silver lining.