Tsk, tsk, tsk. It is really a pity that India's tour of Bangladesh is still on, despite the best efforts of a 'terrorist' organization to scuttle it! This Bangladesh-based group was probably concerned that their national team, whose very existence as a Test-playing nation has been under threat after a succession of mediocre performances, would be torn apart by the Indian team, and hence resorted to a rather unconventional method of putting off the tour!

Jokes apart, it was right on the part of the BCCI to step aside and let the Government take the final call on the tour. It now appears that the tour is on, with a slightly revised itinerary.

The two Tests offer the Indian cricketers an opportunity to create and erase some milestones and return to a winning habit of sorts after the series win against South Africa. The previous six months haven't been the most memorable for Sourav Ganguly and his men, and the Bangladesh series offers them the opportunity to experience the 'winning feeling' before the significant face-off against Pakistan in February 2005. Their captain has only happy memories of the country. It was in Bangladesh, Dhaka to be precise, that he scored 124 against Pakistan in the third and deciding final of the Independence Cup triangular tournament, and enabled his team to successfully chase a target of 315. In November 2000, it was in the same city that he became India's 27th official Test captain, and led his team to victory in Bangladesh's inaugural Test match. He subsequently led India to 14 more victories and became the country's most successful Test captain ever.

Records and milestones beckon the Indian cricketers. Sachin Tendulkar, who has not been in the best of nick since his return from injury, has the opportunity to draw level with Sunil Gavaskar as the highest century-scorer in Test cricket and even go ahead of the great opening batsman's tally of 34 hundreds. Anil Kumble needs only one wicket to become India's greatest-ever wicket-taker in Tests. Against the Bangladeshis, the favourite whipping boys in international cricket, the sky is the limit.

Why, even Virender Sehwag has an outside chance of becoming the highest Test scorer in a calendar year. He has scored 1118 runs so far from ten Tests since January 2004, and is 592 short of Sir Vivian Richards' record tally of 1710 that he achieved in 1976. With Sehwag, anything is possible. His job will be made easier by placid tracks that will assist the batsmen. One can't imagine the Bangladeshis preparing green-tops or turners. Where do they have the fast bowlers or spinners? Are they any better than the Indian bowlers?

We all know the answers to both questions.

The Indians are the overwhelming favourites, no doubt about it. What their opponents need to do is try and make the visitors' objective just a little bit difficult. Considering Bangladesh's rather dreadful showing since their elevation to Test status in 2000, one can't really say anything more. They have lost 29 of their 32 Tests, a remarkable stat that has prompted many from the cricketing fraternity to question the Test status granted to them.

Skipper Habibul Bashar and his men ought to remember their inaugural Test, also against India, in which they batted well to score over 400 in the first innings, before their inexperience led to their downfall in the second. In Dave Whatmore, the man who coached Sri Lanka to World Cup success in 1996, they have the right person at the helm of affairs, but no coach can create magic all by himself. He needs the team to try its best to carry out his plans, and the Bangladeshi players ought to do just that. If they play to their potential, the Indians will be tested, and will not find things easy.

A situation like that could lead to just about anything. For Bangladesh, that would be an outstanding achievement.