Port of Spain: These are desperately disappointing times for India, and gloriously uplifting times for Bangladesh.

It's intriguing how one defeat can change so much. Before Saturday, India was seen in many quarters as a worthy contender for the semifinals of the World Cup. Now, the Super Eight stage seems distant. Already there's talk — much of this is rumour, but in Indian cricket yesterday's rumour is often today's news — of the larger ramifications of the five-wicket defeat.

That India didn't deserve to win in Saturday's Group B match is obvious. The side was comprehensively outplayed in all three departments. Why exactly is less clear. `They played poor cricket,' is a generalisation. It says nothing.

Bangladesh had the best of conditions while both batting and bowling. But, so did Pakistan in the Cup opener, and the West Indies found a way to win.

"We could have batted a lot better up front," said Dravid, adding he didn't regret choosing to bat. "The wicket seamed more and longer than we expected. It had a dry look to it. It stayed damper than expected. I've played on wickets that have looked a lot damper, and we've played fine."

Exploiting conditions

Man of the Match Mashrafe Mortaza exploited the conditions exceptionally well; but both Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa assisted him. Bangladesh's three left-arm spinners then operated with incessant control.

Sourav Ganguly played a smart game: the tactic was, however, incumbent on his staying till the end so he could explode and make up the difference between balls faced and runs made. But, when Yuvraj Singh — the only Indian batsman who looked `in' — left, Ganguly followed, undermining what the pair had achieved.

"Just when we were building up and looking to give the charge we lost wickets in clumps," said Dravid. International cricket teams surely can't expect to get off easy after losing five wickets for two runs.

But, India's last-wicket pair added important runs. Often, such acts shift momentum. The target of 192 was low; it was, however, against a team that hasn't a long and distinguished record of chasing.

Flying start

But, Bangladesh's strategy kicked India's teeth in. Tamim Iqbal, 17, played an innings of unmitigated violence. The left-hander's open stance allows him to clear his front foot, and hit through the line. He hit the ball so hard that Dravid, who managed to stop one of his drilled drives, was wringing his hands for well over five minutes.

Despite being hit by Zaheer, Iqbal didn't lose poise. "Their opener Tamim played some strokes to make a quick 50," said Dravid. "The flying start helped them, it set things up."

What Iqbal started, Mushfiqur Rahim, 18, and Saqibul Hasan, 19, consolidated. Rahim is a delightfully compact player with the balance small men have access to. He has good defensive technique, but isn't averse to lofting over the infield in an extension of a conventional cricket stroke. Promoted to three, Rahim was entrusted with stitching the innings together.

Hasan is spoken of as an all-round talent — on Saturday's evidence, his left-arm spin and left-handed batting will make the grade, at least in one-day cricket, sooner than later.

Confronted by the three teenagers, India floundered. Dhoni missed Rahim early; it wasn't the only chance India put down in a forgettable fielding display.

It was here at the Queen's Park Oval last year that India's fielding went to pieces in the final ODI. Fielders went down on the wrong knee, and rarely took the shortest distance to the ball that day.

Some moments on Saturday were throwbacks.

A major cause for concern was that Indian bowlers created few chances. But, it's limiting to view the match through India's prism. Bangladesh's generation next swung it. This is a generation unscarred by the early falls Bangladesh took as a cricket nation. The first sides were plagued by a fear of winning, of not knowing how to handle favourable situations.

The current side may just have iterated past that stage. Captain Habibul Bashar, one of the old guards, has hailed it as an important moment in Bangladesh's cricket. "The wins against Pakistan (in the 1999 World Cup) and Australia (in 2005) were unexpected," said Bashar. "But, here we expected to defeat India. We knew it was no easy feat. But, we were confident in our preparations. We were the first team in the Caribbean. It helped us learn the conditions. The win against New Zealand (in a warm-up game) gave us lots of confidence."

An emotional Bangladesh cricket team dedicated its triumph to former team-mate Manjural Islam who died in a road accident on Friday. "We would like to dedicate this win to Manjural", said Bashar.

Mortaza too dedicated his performance award to his "best friend Manjural.''

With Pakistan losing to Ireland at Jamaica, this may be the sign of cricket in the sub-continent emerging along new fault lines.

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