Bengaluru: In a thriller of the first order, India beat Bangladesh by one run to take the second spot in the Group 2 tally. Everything seemed to be going right for Bangladesh until the last over where the visitors lost the plot completely.
Bangladesh needed 11 runs to win off the last over by Bhumrah. It started well with two boundaries but Bangladesh ended up losing three wickets in the last three deliveries. Despite looking on top of India all through the match, it was the last three deliveries of the match that changed the fate for Bangladesh.
Defending a modest total of 146, things were not going right for India. There were three catches dropped, a few big overs and some misfieldings that appeared to have given Bangladesh an edge throughout the match.
Among the batsmen, opener Tamim Iqbal was the top scorer for Bangladesh with 35 runs off 32 balls. Sabbir Rahman (26 off 15) Shakib Al Hasan (22 off 15) steadied the ship after loosing Mohammad Mithun to Ashwin for 1 run. Mahmudullah (18 off 22) and Soumya Sarkar (21 off 21) also contributed significantly to place Bangladesh on a winning road.
However, tight bowling by Ashwin (20 for 2) restricted Bangladesh from accelerating at crucial points of the game. He was also adjudged Man of the Match for his remarkable spell. Ravindra Jadeja (22 for 2) also picked crucial wickets in tight situations.
However, it was Hardik Pandya's last over that changed the fate of the match. His last over yielded 8 runs, but he picked up two wickets in the form of catch outs. Bangladesh needed to score two runs off the last ball but Pandya bowled a slower one wide off the stumps that the batsman could not touch.
Fears of a super over went for a toss when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni ran out the Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh ended up at 145 at the loss of nine wickets.
Batting first, Indian batsmen were today found floundering against a good bowling attack against Bangladesh in their third match in Group 2 in the ongoing World T20 tournament.
Bangladesh bowlers combined well to restrict team India to 146 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Put in to bat by Bangladesh first, India got a slow but steady start from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. However, just as they looked set to accelerate, the wickets went in quick succession, with Rohit departing for 18 off 16 balls and Dhawan dismissed for 23 off 22 balls.
Virat Kohli’s knock of 24 from 24 balls offered some hope for the Indians but lacked the firepower Indians were looking for to post a big total.
Suresh Raina was the pick of the batsmen scoring 30 off 23 balls during an unhurried start for Bangladesh. This was India’s top individual score in this innings.
India today will look forward to step closer to qualify for the semi-finals after defeating Pakistan in the high-voltage clash on March 19, whereas it will be a do-or-die situation for Bangladesh as they are yet to register their first win in the global event.
While India is fielding the same side, Bangladesh was bolstered by the return of Tamim Iqbal, who missed the last match in place of left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib.
India is currently placed fourth in Group 2 behind Australia. A big result against Bangladesh today will ease their qualification burden ahead of a potentially tough contest with the Aussies side in Mohali on Sunday.
Here are the team squads:
India:
MS Dhoni (C), R Ashwin, JJ Bumrah, S Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, V Kohli, Mohammed Shami, P Negi, A Nehra, HH Pandya, AM Rahane, SK Raina, RG Sharma, Yuvraj Singh
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim†, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Saqlain Sajib, Shuvagata Hom, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal
