SAFF Championship 2021: India vs Bangladesh – Which team has the height advantage?

Bangladesh have got off to a positive start in the SAFF Championship 2021 after they edged Sri Lanka 1-0 in the tournament opener at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives on Friday evening. They will next go up against India on Monday.

In their previous encounter with the Blue Tigers, they were defeated 2-0 courtesy of a brace from Sunil Chhetri. So this time they will have a  point to prove against Igor Stimac’s men. But do they have enough firepower? We tried to find out which team have players with better height and in this aspect, India clearly have an advantage over their neighbours. 

Oscar Bruzon’s first-choice keeper, Anisur Rahman Zico (175 cm), might be known for his reflexes and agility but he is leagues behind India’s Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (198 cm) as far as their height and reach are concerned. Similarly in defence, If Stimac chooses to field a three-man backline with Pritam Kotal/Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh and Subhasish Bose, India can dominate aerially against Bangladesh’s forwards Suman Reza and Biplo Ahmed who are just 165 cm and 167 cm respectively. 

However in midfield, the Bangla Tigers might have a slight advantage as they have the likes of Atiqur Rahman (177 cm), Rakib Hossain (175 cm), and Jamal Bhuyan (173 cm) who are taller than their Indian counterparts of Anirudh Thapa (169 cm), Brandon Fernandes (167 cm), and Suresh Singh (170 cm). But if Glan Martins (183 cm) is given a start then the Goan can be a towering presence in the centre of the park. 

In attack, the scales once again tilt towards India. Although Sunil Chhetri (170cm) is not one of the taller players on the pitch, his aerial abilities are well documented. Whereas Manvir Singh (188 cm) is taller than any of the other Bangladeshi defenders. Even if Rahim Ali (179 cm) takes the field on the left wing, he will be a handful for right-back Bishwanath Ghosh who stands at 165 cm. 

So it will not be surprising if India dominates the aerial duels on the field as they have taller players on the roster and the average squad height is significantly better than the opposition. Have a look at the height of each player of the respective squads in the tables below. 

GOALKEEPERS

INDIA	HEIGHT	BANGLADESH	HEIGHT
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu	198 cm	Anisur Rahman Zico	175 cm
Vishal Kaith	188 cm	Sahidul Alam Sohel	191 cm
Dheeraj Singh	184 cm	Ashraful Islam Rana	180 cm
Average Height	190 cm	Average Height	182 cm

DEFENDERS

INDIA	HEIGHT	BANGLADESH	HEIGHT
Pritam Kotal	179 cm	Topu Barman	183 cm
Rahul Bheke	180cm	Bishwanath Ghosh	165 cm
Chinglensana Singh	186 cm	Rahmat Mia	170 cm
Mandar Rao Dessai	170 cm	Tariq Raikhan Kazi	179 cm
Subhasish Bose	186 cm	Riyadul Hasan Rafi	173 cm
Seriton Fernandes	174 cm	Yeasin Arafat	170 cm
Average Height	179 cm	Razaul Karim	170 cm
——-	—	Tutul Hossain Badsha	183 cm
		Average Height	174 cm

MIDFIELDERS

INDIA	HEIGHT	BANGLADESH	HEIGHT
Udanta Singh	170 cm	Sohel Rana	175 cm
Brandon Fernandes	167 cm	Jamal Bhuyan	173 cm
Lalengmawia	177 cm	Mohammad Hridoy	173 cm
Anirudh Thapa	169 cm	Saad Uddin	175 cm
Sahal Abdul Samad	176 cm	Rakib Hossain	175 cm
Glan Martins	183 cm	Atiqur Rahman Fahad	177 cm
Jeakson Singh	186 cm	Average Height	174.66 cm
Suresh Singh	170 cm	—–	—
Liston Colaco	178 cm	—–	—
Yasir Mohammad	169 cm	—–	—
Average Height	174.5 cm	—–	—

FORWARDS

INDIA	HEIGHT	BANGLADESH	HEIGHT
Manvir Singh	188 cm	Biplo Ahamed	167 cm
Rahim Ali	179 cm	Mahbubur Rahman	165 cm
Sunil Chhetri	170 cm	Mohammad Ibrahim	173 cm
Farukh Choudhary	180 cm	Matin Miah	165 cm
Average Height	179.25 cm	Suman Reza	165 cm
—–	—	Jewel Rana	170 cm
—–	—	Average Height	167.5 cm

Average Height of India: 178.52 cm                                                                                                                                               Average Height of Bangladesh: 173.56 cm