Bangladesh goalkeeper Sumaiya Banu has blamed a lack of regular international tournaments for the gulf between the hosts and India after the visitors handed them a crushing 47-13 defeat in the Begum Khaleda Zia IHF Nations Trophy at Shaheed Captain M Mansur Ali Handball Stadium in Paltan on Monday.
India led 24-8 at half-time and secured their place in the final with a game to spare. Bhawana starred with 13 goals and was named player of the match.
Sumaiya admitted that Bangladesh had struggled against a stronger, faster and more experienced opponent, despite opening their campaign with a dominant victory over Nepal.
“We all know that the Indian team has always been good, but our expectation was to play well,” she said. “They participate in tournaments much more frequently. We don't get to play that many tournaments in Bangladesh.”
She pointed to the ranking gap between the sides, with India 10th and Bangladesh 48th, and stressed that regular competition could help the hosts improve.
“We play very few tournaments. Back in 2019, we had an international tournament, the SA Games, and then there was the Islamic Solidarity Games. After that, there haven't been any senior-level games, so we have a massive gap,” Sumaiya said.
Bangladesh coach Ana Alonso Fragua also highlighted the difference in preparation, saying India had trained intensively throughout the year, while Bangladesh had only around three months of preparation.
Bangladesh will face the Maldives on Tuesday, with victory securing a place in the final against India.
“Whatever happened today is in the past; we will focus on tomorrow's match,” Sumaiya said. “If we win tomorrow, we will definitely play in the final.”