More than a plan B: Bangladesh hockey wants to stop being a backup option

Who doesn’t love a good underdog story in sports? A team doesn’t have to kill giants or win every match to win hearts. Sometimes it’s the fight, the resilience and the desire to punch above their weight that makes a team special. In Jalandhar, Bangladesh may just be that team.

In hockey, Bangladesh hardly considers themselves Asia’s elite. Ranked 27th in the FIH rankings, they have never competed in the Olympics or World Cup as an independent nation. Their only World Cup appearance came in 1971 when they were still part of Pakistan.

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In a country where cricket and football dominate the sporting landscape, hockey has largely remained in the shadows. And with Bangladesh going through political turmoil in the past few years, the sport has had to deal with its own challenges.

Bangladesh often play the role of last-minute substitutes. When the team withdraws from the tournament, it is among the first names on the speed dial of Hockey India and the Asian Hockey Federation.

It happened at the Asia Cup. And now that Pakistan has declined India’s invitation to compete in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), Bangladesh has entered again.

For a team that rarely gets the chance to compete against the continent’s best, such tournaments offer invaluable exposure. But this time, Bangladesh arrived in India with a familiar face in their dugout.

Gerhard Rach, who briefly served as India’s first foreign coach in 2004, is now tasked with managing Bangladesh’s hockey ambitions. His previous tenure in India was turbulent and his tenure played a role in ousting Dhanraj Pillay and several other key names.

Next to him is captain Ashraful Islam, a veteran who has played 106 matches and scored 82 goals for his country.

Together, the coach and captain have a clear mission: to shed Bangladesh’s tag as a replacement team and establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Asian hockey.

MORE THAN JUST THE SCORELINE

Bangladesh’s numbers in the ACT make grim reading. After three games, they are yet to record a win or a point. They scored only one goal and conceded 20.

On paper, it’s a campaign that tells a story of struggle. But the numbers don’t quite capture the fight that Bangladesh showed on the field.

They were thumped 0-13 by India in their opening match and another heavy defeat was widely expected when they faced Japan. Instead, Bangladesh put on a show of toughness and resilience that offered a glimpse of their potential.

Defending deep and in numbers, they refused to give Japan the space to connect passes or create clear-cut chances. Their resistance was finally broken in the 40th minute, but they held on for most of the match and eventually lost 0-1.

Against Japan, Bangladesh showed that they can make life difficult for a stronger opponent. Against Malaysia, they offered a glimpse of what they might do next.

Finishing and poise inside the circle were still lacking, but Bangladesh eventually opened their account in the tournament with young sensation Amirul Islam finding the net.

According to Rach, the performance needs to be viewed in the context of Bangladesh’s development.

“People still don’t understand where we are. Our opponents are playing at a very high level and we are not there yet. We have to get to that level, but it takes time,” said coach Rach.

Captain Ashraful, meanwhile, feels his side need another year or two before they can challenge their opponents consistently.

“Maybe we need one or two more years because we are still learning and we haven’t played so many warm-up matches. We have just started so I think if we play more matches we will get more confidence. If we believe more we can score,” Ashraful said.

BAPTISM OF FIRE

No team wants to be on the receiving end of a heavy loss in a major tournament. There is little joy for the players in returning home knowing their team is still several levels below the opposition.

But for Bangladesh, such setbacks may be a necessary part of the journey.

Both Rach and Ashraful believe that competing against the best in Asia, even if the results are painful, is essential to the team’s growth. For Rach, the first step is overcoming the fear that comes with facing the continent’s heavyweights.

“You need matches like this to learn. Of course we have to learn how to deal with what teams like India do against us and correct our mistakes. The main thing is that we were scared to play against them. We have to forget that fear and become more confident,” said Rach.

The challenge is not just about better defense or avoiding heavy defeats. Bangladesh also need to convert the chances they create into goals.

Ashraful believes the team is beginning to understand how to create these openings. The next step is to make them count.

“These are big team matches. All teams are big teams. They play in the World Cup and the Olympics and we are not at that level. But we are learning and when we play we realize that we are creating a lot of chances. If we take advantage of them, we can win these matches,” Ashraful said.

BUILDING TOWARDS A BIGGER DREAM

Bangladesh’s ambitions go beyond ACT. The country continues to navigate a challenging political situation, while hockey remains a sport in need of greater investment, infrastructure and institutional support.

Rach admitted that his team is still catching up in terms of resources and preparation. Even something as fundamental as video analytics remains a challenge.

“We will have to look at the video analysis even though we don’t have access to the full video. We are watching the available clips and then working to improve things going forward,” said Rach.

Back home, however, Ashraful believes there are encouraging signs of change. He pointed to the support from the new government and the Minister of Sports, especially efforts to provide financial security for athletes and encourage more players to take up the sport.

“Right now, our new government and our sports minister are doing very well. They are taking very good care of all the sportsmen, not just hockey but every sport in Bangladesh. Now they are giving salaries, so a lot of players are coming to play hockey,” Ashraful said.

For Ashraful, it is a dream to take Bangladesh to the biggest stages of international sports. While that may seem ambitious given the team’s current standing, the captain believes the opportunity is there if he continues to improve.

“For me, I think we can play in the next World Cup. We have a chance and we have a very big chance in the 2028 Olympics. We are already qualified for the Olympic qualification. So if we play like this and keep improving, if we play like this, we can make it there,” Ashraful said.

Rach, meanwhile, has a more immediate goal in mind. His priority is to build a competitive squad for next year’s Nations Cup, a tournament that could open the door to the FIH Pro League and give Bangladesh more opportunities to test themselves against superior opposition.

“The ultimate goal is to get into the top six in Asia, get to the level of the other teams, beat them and improve our ranking to sixth. But the main priority now is to build the team for next year’s Nations Cup. That’s why we are building the team,” said Rach.

Bangladesh may end up at the bottom of the ACT rankings. Their results so far suggest that the gap between them and the leading Asian teams remains considerable.

But for Rach and Ashraful, the tournament is about more than wins and losses. It’s about learning to compete without fear, gaining confidence against stronger opposition and laying the foundations for a more competitive future.

For a team used to stepping in when others are leaving, the ambition is to ensure that Bangladesh are no longer seen as mere participants to make up the numbers.

Bangladesh may not win many matches in Jalandhar. But they hope to leave Punjab with something much more valuable: the belief that their story in Asian hockey can be about more than turning up when another team doesn’t.

– The end