Bangladesh's new groove

It's not the best feeling in the world when you drag yourself from bed early in the morning to witness New Zealand's pacers swinging the ball with vengeance. The Black Caps had seemingly channelled all the frustration, of their last seven defeats, into this game.    
Such a scenario is generally followed by a twist in the tummy, which is made worse by the thousands of cynical comments posted on social websites. 
"This one's going to be over before lunch… I'm going back to sleep," posted a 'fan' who had earlier dedicated a 500-word status to the Tigers after their English triumph. "It will be an achievement if we can get past 200 here," quipped a journalist on facebook.  
On any other day one would have expected a meek surrender from the Tigers. Battling against pace and swing isn't their cup of tea; heck it's not even their plate of rice. At home, all they worry about is that low skidding delivery that has every chance to go on to the stumps if it's not read well. 
However, yesterday was soothingly different. The Tigers didn't get bundled out by lunch and neither did they just scrape past 200. They almost secured a win against the favourites of the competition! 
 If you happen to think that this lot was satisfied by merely giving a fight, think again; because these boys are going through a very special phase. 
The manner in which Bangladesh's top order tackled the early movement and gutted it out reflected the huge amount of patience that they have so far garnered in this Cup. While they were cautious, they ensured not to get themselves into a shell. 
The young Soumya Sarker kept moving across the stumps in a bid to negate the  swing and upset the bowler. His partner Mahmudullah Riyad was rarely in two minds and drove with precision. 
While their approach said it all, a glance at Bangladesh's records would detail out as to why this current phase is so unique.
For starters, this is the first time that Bangladesh have posted three consecutive 270-plus totals in ODIs. Away wins against top-ranked sides are a rarity for Bangladesh. The win against England was only their tenth success outside Bangladesh against a team ranked in the top eight slots; seventh if you choose to remove the 3-0 whitewash against a depleted West Indian line-up in 2009. 
And here they were, almost romping to their second consecutive away win. Both against powerful teams in conditions that they rarely get to play in. 
Individually as well, the players are bringing up better numbers. Prior to the World Cup Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah averaged 33.05, 24.32 and 27.93 respectively outside Bangladesh. During the World Cup though, those numbers rocketed to 46.50, 54.20 and 86 respectively. Perhaps the biggest surprise of them all was Mahmudullah's consecutive centuries; a player who until last year was struggling to make the team! 
The war of words with regards to Bangladesh's expected quarterfinal clash against India has already begun on the social media. Many have termed it as an easy sail for the reigning champions. Many of the cynical fans Bangladeshi fans have already move on to their second-team. 
There's no doubt that India wouldn't have preferred facing anybody else from Pool A in their first knock out stage game. However, what they should be aware of is that this is a Bangladeshi side rolling on a different groove altogether, one that is incomparable to the sides of the past.