For a moment, a nation stopped breathing. People got out of their cars, while sitting in endless traffic jams, to celebrate with each other. Some went in search of a nearby TV, whether it was at an electronics store or a clubhouse tent, to celebrate with more strangers. There were chants of “Bangladesh, Bangladesh” across cities, towns and villages, with reports of victory processions in several places.
A Facebook video showed one man wearing a Bangladesh jersey, feeding pedestrians and rickshaw-pullers from a box of sweets. There was one photo of a group of people crowding around a phone, trying to catch the game, at a wedding. Millions congratulated the youngsters and the country on social media, while newspaper headlines on Monday morning screamed of the achievement – Bangladesh’s first major global sporting trophy. One headline even made reference to “Akbar the Great”.