Bangladesh are looking forward to their 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against India on Tuesday but their preparations have not been ideal.
India will host Bangladesh tomorrow at the JN Stadium from 7pm.
Although officially not much has been said, Bangladesh were, according to media reports from the neighbouring country, less than impressed by the training ground offered to them at the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus.
The visiting team arrived in Shillong on Thursday afternoon and had their first practice session on Friday at the NEHU turf, which, though a natural grass surface, is not of “standard size” and has had some issues of being undululating and not uniformly flat. It should be mentioned, however, that the ground has been found suitable by the Asian Football Confederation and All India Football Federation.
Bangladesh chose not to train at NEHU on Saturday but instead looked for another natural turf. However, Shillong, while the centre of football in Meghalaya has few real grass pitches, with the JN Stadium being the only other one.
Finally, Bangladesh were forced to make do under floodlights at an artificial turf of First Ground on Saturday evening and again on Sunday afternoon.
Only today, a day before the game, did Bangladesh get to train on the JN Stadium pitch.
India, meanwhile, have had plenty of time on this particular surface, having been in Shillong for nearly a fortnight now, going back before the friendly against Maldives on March 19.
