However, former skipper and the man in form Virat Kohli drew controversy once again. Kohli (66 no, 44b) was adjudged man of the match for his fluent fifty (third in the tournament). But the flamboyant batter’s on-field action drew plenty of attention by cricket buffs on social media.
After losing the match, Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan claimed that the on-field umpires missed an incident of ‘fake fielding’ from Kohli, which could have resulted in five crucial penalty runs for Bangladesh.
The incident took place in the seventh over during Bangladesh’s run chase. When Litton Das played the ball towards the deep off-side field off Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh sent in the throw. Virat, who was standing at point, feigned a shy as the ball was going past him. At the time, it went unnoticed by the umpires in the field. The on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Chris Brown didn’t take action over the incident. The Bangladesh batters Litton and Najmul Hossain Shanto also didn’t point it out.
“There was also a fake throw. It could have been a five-run penalty. That also could have gone our way, but unfortunately, even that didn’t materialise,” Nurul said after the match.
As per, cricket’s Law 41.5, pertaining to unfair play, it is prohibited to ‘deliberately distract, deceive, or obstruct the batter’, and if an incident is deemed to be a breach, the umpires can declare that particular delivery as dead ball, and award the batting side five runs.
The right-handed opening batsman and Test wicket-keeper struck a brilliant 60 off just 27 balls to almost take his side home vs India in the T20 World Cup. He was going all guns blazing against Indian bowlers and hammered them all around to give his side an early advantage.
He hit fours in Arshdeep Singh’s first over and then six and two fours against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. It just took him 21 balls to reach his half century, and it appeared like he was on a mission to win the game single-handedly.
However, KL Rahul’s direct throw dashed his efforts and Bangladesh lost the match.
On the other hand, other Bangladesh batters could not live up to the hype. Nevertheless, Litton managed to grab the attention of all cricket lovers with his massive knocks.
India managed to secure a narrow five-run win after the game got affected by rain in the second half.
Meanwhile, Litton Das’ beautiful wife LD Sonchita took to her social media handle and was all praise for her husband. The versatile batter’s wife shared a special message for her husband and wrote, “Believe in time! Proud of you my dear Husband. You deserve the best of everything and hope you will have it too. Hare Krishna!!”
Litton is married to his long-time girlfriend Devasri Biswas Sonchita. They couple married in September of 2019.
Litton, born in Dinajpur to a Bengali Hindu family, is now the highest ever run scorer for Bangladesh in any calendar year (2022). He also has the highest individual score for Bangladesh in ODIs and is the first batter to score 1000 runs in 2022 and also the first keeper to score 800 runs in 2012-2023 World Test Championship.
He was no other than Team India’s sidearm thrower Raghu. He was found running around the ground with a brush in his hand to clean the shoes of Indian players to prevent them from slipping due to the wet conditions.
During Bangladesh’s run-chase, the match was halted due to rain and when the game resumed, the outfield was quite wet. Raghu made sure that everything was in order for Indian players. He went to his players and cleaned their shoes with a brush, so that they don’t slip and fall while bowling or fielding.
Cricket buffs heaped praise on Raghu for his selfless service. It was not his job to clean the shoes of the players. However motivation prompted him to go beyond his duty to provide utility service to the players at the time of need.
Notably, India prevailed over Bangladesh by five runs to go top of Group 2 and inch closer towards a spot in the semifinals.
Eventually, India prevailed over Bangladesh by five runs to go on top of Group 2 and inch closer towards a spot in the semifinals. Fifties from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli (64 not out), along with Suryakumar Yadav's 16-ball 30, took India to a massive 184/6 in 20 overs.
Bangladesh seemed to be cruising to the target of 185 with Litton Das making a stunning 27-ball 60 as they reached 66 for no loss in first seven overs. His onslaught began with three fours off Arshdeep Singh in the second over.
He then teared into Bhuvneshwar Kumar, taking him for a six and consecutive fours, before scooping a six over his shoulder off the pacer over fine leg in the fifth over. Mohammed Shami was next to be taken to the cleaners, as Das heaved him over backward square leg for four.
He brought up fifty in 21 balls with a top-edge on the pull going over deep square leg fence and followed up with an inside-out loft over extra cover for four as Bangladesh made 66 for no loss in seven overs before rain arrived, ahead by 17 runs on DLS method.
The 50-minute rain changed the equation to 151 in 16 overs. It got the momentum to shift in India's favour as Rahul's brilliant run-out of Das while going for a second run post rain break.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had best seat in the house for Das' blitz, hit a brace of boundaries, but holed out to long-on off Shami. Arshdeep made a double strike as Afif Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan fell while trying to clear the short boundary.
Wickets continued to tumble for Bangladesh as Yasir Ali and Mosaddek Hossain fell to Hardik Pandya in a bid to go big. Though Nurul Hasan and Taskin Ahmed hit six boundaries in the last three overs, Arshdeep delivered brilliant yorkers in the final over as India managed to hold their nerve for a tight win.
Bangladesh could make only 79 runs in the remaining nine overs, losing six wickets and ending up at 145/6 in 16 overs. Earlier, pushed into batting first, Rahul was elegant in his stroke-play, hitting three fours and four sixes at a strike-rate of 156.25 to shrug off his lean run.
He also shared a 67-run stand off 37 balls for the second wicket with Kohli, who continued his sizzling touch in the tournament by hitting eight fours and a six at a strike-rate of 145.45. The duo were also supported by wristy strokeplay of Suryakumar and Ravichandran Ashwin hitting a cameo of 13 not out.
Rahul straightaway did not look in great touch in the first two overs. But an impressive pick-up shot into the deep square leg fence off Shoriful Islam for six him going.
Though Rohit Sharma cut uppishly straight to gully off Hasan Mahmud just an over after the pacer dropped the Indian skipper at fine leg, Rahul was unperturbed in attacking the bowler, with a fantastically-timed square cut, going flat over cover point for six being the standout.
From the other end, Kohli took on Ahmed with boundaries off outer edges. The duo then took 24 runs off Shoriful in the ninth over. Kohli kickstarted the over with a gorgeous straight drive for four, before Rahul stood tall to dispatch a length ball, called a no-ball, over long-on for six.
On the next legal ball, he sliced high over deep point for six, before going deep in the crease to slash past point for four. Rahul reached his fifty in 31 balls, but gave a simple catch to short fine leg off Shakib.
Suryakumar got off the mark by flaying a cut over point off Shakib and teared into Mahmud by lofting drives over extra cover twice, before slicing a drive through backward point for three fours in a 14-run over. His sparkling knock was cut short by Shakib, missing the slower ball while trying to cut off the left-arm spinner.
Kohli hanged around to get his third fifty of the tournament in 37 balls even as Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel fell in quick succession from the other end. He swivelled off his wrists to hit a four over deep square leg, and ended the over off Mahmud with a magical six coming off the straight bat lofted down the ground.
In the final over, Ashwin pulled Shoriful over deep square leg for six and drilled a clean drive past mid-off as 27 runs came in the last two overs, enough to get two points on a dramatic night.
Brief Scores: India 184/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 64 not out, KL Rahul 50; Hasan Mahmud 3/47, Shakib Al Hasan 2/33) beat Bangladesh 145/6 in 16 overs (Litton Das 60, Nurul Hasan 25 not out; Hardik Pandya 2/28, Arshdeep Singh 2/38) by 5 runs (via DLS method)
The star batsman, who was out of form in the initial games, found his mojo back. His quick-fire half-century in just 32 balls has set internet ablaze. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper came back in style to silence his critics with a wonderful 32-ball 50 innings, which included 3 fours and 4 sixes.
Now, netizens just can’t stop praising his well knitted knocks at the Adelaide Oval in the Super 12 match.
Fans have started praising for his KLassy Knocks. However, it was fellow cricketer Virat Kohli’s reaction after a massive six that took internet by storm.
Have a look at the video below:
The reaction of King #ViratKohli𓃵
— KL Siku Kumar (@KL_Siku_Kumar) November 2, 2022
After the #KLRahul six
Moment hai bhai moment pic.twitter.com/YOJRM0L57X
Earlier, KL Rahul faced immense flak for his poor show in three back to back games against Pakistan, Netherlands and South Africa. Many even raised question about his replacement.
However, the star batsman has silenced his critics with his super knocks.
Notably, Bangladesh won the toss and skipper Shakib Al Hasan elected to bowl first.
After winning the toss, Shakib said they have brought in an extra pacer in Shoriful Islam, who replaces Soumya Sarkar in the playing eleven.
#KLRahul𓃵 is the only player who doesn't have any godfather to back him fir selection , he is in the team just because of His performance. I love the way he introduces new shots. 🤩🤩❤️🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🚩@klrahul#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vuL25P7HpN
— 7G_Hotspot (@VImvinit0077) November 2, 2022
India captain Rohit Sharma said he would have loved to bat first and added that left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel replaces Deepak Hooda in the playing eleven.
"Runs on the board would matter. We would look to bat well. All games are important in this format. We didn't play well in the last game. Hopefully, we can play some good cricket and get those two points. Good ground and good atmosphere here. Good weather as well," he stated.
Comeback is always stronger than setback 💪
— Madhu DHFM 🔥 (@MadhuPeyyala4) November 2, 2022
Well played #KLRahul𓃵, deserving fifty 🔥🥳 @klrahul#INDvsBAN । #T20WorldCup2022#KLRahul𓃵 pic.twitter.com/8xwReOQjN7
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam.
A win for India over Bangladesh in a chilly, cold Adelaide will strengthen their quest to seal a semifinal spot. India and Bangladesh are level on four points in the Group 2 points table, with the former ahead on net run rate.
Overall, India have a 10-1 record against Bangladesh in T20Is. The last meeting between the two teams in T20 World Cups resulted in a heart-stopping one-run win for India in Bengaluru in 2016.
After winning the toss, Shakib said they have brought in an extra pacer in Shoriful Islam, who replaces Soumya Sarkar in the playing eleven.
"Don't know what the best score is on this pitch. Know what's coming at us, we're well prepared. Boys gelling well together, everyone looking forward to this. Need to continue doing good things. Batting is one area we can improve. Our fast bowling is terrific," he expressed.
India captain Rohit Sharma said he would have loved to bat first and added that left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel replaces Deepak Hooda in the playing eleven.
"Runs on the board would matter. We would look to bat well. All games are important in this format. We didn't play well in the last game. Hopefully, we can play some good cricket and get those two points. Good ground and good atmosphere here. Good weather as well," he stated.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wicket-keeper), Yasir Ali, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam.
Players of both teams will be lined up on the ground to sing their national anthems before the start of the match. Well, it is interesting to know that the national anthems of both countries have been composed by the same legendary poet from India – Rabindranath Tagore.
‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ is the national anthem of Bangladesh which is an ode to Mother Bengal. The lyrics were written by famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. The melody of the hymn was adopted from the Baul singer Gagan Harkara’s song ‘Ami Kothay Pabo Tare’ in Dadra Tala.
Moreover, the first ten lines of this song constitute Bangladesh’s national anthem, adopted in 1971 during their liberation war.
On the other hand, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is the national anthem of India. It was originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore. The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950.
India’s national anthem conveys the spirit of pluralism. It also signifies the concept of ‘Unity in Diversity, which lies at the core of India’s cultural heritage.
Notably, the Super 12 match will be all-important for both teams for taking one more step to seal their semifinal berth in the mega event.
India’s latest adventure in Australia may come to an end after their meeting against Bangladesh in Adelaide on November 2. Men in Blue’s place in the last four of the mega event is under a threat given the circumstances that if it rains in Adelaide on Wednesday. If the match against Bangladesh gets washed out then both India and Bangladesh’s spot in the next round may come into jeopardy.
If rain interrupts the game, fans will hope that they get to see at least a match less than 20 overs. If the all-important clash gets washed out then both teams will share the points.
The Men in Blue India have currently four points in their kitty as they trail table-toppers South Africa who have five points. Bangladesh are currently placed third in the group with four points. They have a slightly lower net run rate than India.
If the clash in Adelaide gets washed out, both India and Bangladesh will earn a point each, and the top three teams in Group B will all have five points each. South Africa will next lock horns with Pakistan. Then the qualification scenario will depend on how India, South Africa and Bangladesh fare in their final group match.
India will face Zimbabwe in their next match. On the other hand, Bangladesh face a tougher opponent Pakistan. South Africa’s final group match is against the Netherlands. Fans can expect Men in Blue to beat Zimbabwe. However, they will be hoping that it doesn’t go that far and India should confirm their progress into the last four today itself.
For India, their fourth Super 12 match against Group 2 opponents Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday is a good opportunity to correct the wrongs from their five-wicket loss to South Africa at Perth in order to keep themselves in the hunt for a spot in semifinals.
"We're very confident, but we know we have to play very, very well from here on if we want to win. It's really a question of winning the next four games, really. You have to win the next four games to be able to win this tournament," were Dravid's simple words in the pre-match press conference on India's road in the tournament.
Against South Africa, India were undone by fiery pace and bounce from a tall four-man pace attack, led by Lungi Ngidi's four wickets. Every batter faltered, barring Suryakumar Yadav, who made a brilliant counter-attacking 68 and carried India to a decent score.
Though bowlers tried hard by picking the first three wickets quickly, they were unable to stop David Miller and Aiden Markram from reaching their respective half-centuries. There were also lapses in the field by India, a side which isn't associated much with sloppy fielding efforts.
For starters, India would want for their top order to start firing in unison. Though Virat Kohli has been among the runs, they would wish for captain Rohit Sharma and a struggling KL Rahul to form a solid partnership with the bat.
The middle and lower order comprising Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik (if declared fit on morning of the match), would then have the job to double the score and indulge in some power-hitting if the top order fires.
With the ball, India need to decide how to make optimum use of the four overs from Ravichandran Ashwin, who can be handy against Bangladesh's four left-handers, which also includes their captain Shakib Al Hasan, apart from getting their death-overs bowling right.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, arrive into this match on the back of a thrilling three-run win over Zimbabwe in Brisbane. In their campaign where they are also in with a chance to qualify for the semifinals, pacer Taskin Ahmed has been a standout performer for them.
In the tournament till now, Ahmed has taken eight wickets and has been great with the new ball, resulting in bagging two Player-of-the-Match awards in both of Bangladesh's victories till now. He has also been supported very well by fellow pacers Hasan Mahmud and Mustafizur Rahman.
With the bat, opener Najmul Hossain Shanto's career-best knock of 71 against Zimbabwe would have pleased the team management. But they would still like for Shakib, Soumya Sarkar, and the finishers, Nurul Hasan and Yasir Ali to put up a strong show with the bat against India's bowlers.
When India and Bangladesh met last time in the T20 World Cup, it led to a heart-stopping one-run win for the former in Bengaluru in 2016. Whenever these two teams meet on the field, there is always drama, emotions and cricketing brilliance combined to make it an unforgettable match for fans from both countries.
"All the eleven players which India have, they are all capable to play for India and that's why they are a part of the team. We know what we are coming up against tomorrow. We know the challenges and try to plan accordingly, prepare ourselves and do our best," added Shakib.
With both teams tied on four points from three matches and only the net run rate separating them, India and Bangladesh will meet as sides in contention for the semifinals, as fans wait for another famous tale to be written in cricketing chapter between the two neighbours, though rain could play spoilsport to their best-laid plans in Adelaide.
Ahead of India's crucial encounter against Bangladesh, Shakib said that the Rohit Sharma-led team is also the favourite to win tomorrow's match. As per Shakib, if that did not happen, it will be another upset of the tournament.
"India is the favourite team to win the mega event. They have come here to win the T20 World Cup title. We are not favourites and we didn't come here to win the World Cup.If we can win against India, it will be called an upset. We will try to play our best cricket and try to make an upset," said Shakib.
He also termed Surya Kumar Yadav as India's number-one batsman in the last one year. Shakib said that India has got few world-class players. He also said that Bangladesh will have to overcome the Indian batting order to win the match. In-form Surya has so far scored 985 runs and is the leading run-scorer in T20Is this year. Of the three matches, Surya has hit two fifties in the tournament.
Shakib also praised Arshdeep Singh for his performance and said that Singh is showing a lot of promise and is a great prospect for India.
Notably, after beaten by South African in a close encounter at Perth, India are now looking to get their World Cup campaign on track when they lock horns against Bangladesh in a crucial Group 2 match at Adelaide oval tomorrow.
Bangladesh have got the better of minnows Netherlands and Zimbabwe by a close margin of nine and three runs respectively. However, they lost to higher-ranked South Africa by a huge margin of 104 runs. On the other hand, India started off their campaign by winning a tight encounter against arch-rival Pakistan. The Men in Blue went on to defeat the Netherlands by 56 runs. However, they lost to South Africa by 5-wickets in their third match.
Both India and Bangladesh will like to get their T20 World Cup campaign back on track when they take on each other at the Adelaide Oval on November 2.
Going by past records, India are expected to be the clear favourites against their lower-ranked opponent. However, Bangladesh have the potential to spring a surprise and create an upset against any bigger teams on the given day.
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant is expected to be part of the playing eleven due to veteran Dinesh Karthik’s injury. Ravichandran Ashwin’s spot is also under threat because of an indifferent show against the Proteas. Ashwin may make way for leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Let’s take a look at the statistical highlights between India and Bangladesh.
India have beaten Bangladesh all the three times in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In their last encounter at this stage in the T20 World Cup 2016, India managed to win a thrilling clash by just one run in Bengaluru.
One of the main pacers of Bangladesh Mustafizur Rahman needs four more wickets to pick 100 wickets in T20Is.
Former Team India skipper and in-form Virat Kohli needs just 16 more runs to surpass Mahela Jayawardene and become the highest run-scorer in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant needs 39 more runs to complete 1000 runs in T20Is.
In-form Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav needs 65 more runs to complete 1000 T20I runs in 2022.
Moreover, India skipper Rohit Sharma (452) has been the highest run-scorer against Bangladesh in T20I.
The 33-year-old Jadeja had missed out on the ongoing T20 World Cup because of a knee injury he suffered during the Asia Cup in August and subsequent surgery. In the last few weeks, the all-rounder has shared videos of his recovery, giving the idea that he is making steady progress and is on the road to recovery.
Chief selector Sharma mentioned that Jadeja's inclusion in the squad is subject to his fitness test.
Meanwhile, senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will also return for the tour of Bangladesh, after taking a break from the tour of New Zealand in November, which begins five days after the T20 World Cup final in Australia.
Rajat Patidar and Rahul Tripathi, who impressed with their batting performances during the white-ball series between India A and New Zealand A, have been rewarded with a place in the squad for Bangladesh ODIs as well. Uttar Pradesh's left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who is also part of the ODI squad, has earned his maiden India call-up.
However, Jasprit Bumrah, who also missed the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia because of a back injury, continues his recovery from a back injury and will miss out for the tours of New Zealand and Bangladesh.
When asked about the timeframe of his return, Sharma said the selectors did not want to rush him back into the side.
"I always speak about managing the players. Workload management is something we follow very closely. We tried to hurry up with Jasprit Bumrah when the World Cup was approaching and look at what happened, we are without Jasprit Bumrah in the World Cup. The NCA team and the medical team are looking after him very well and he will definitely be part and parcel of the team very soon, definitely against Australia. But against Bangladesh we were a little cautious with Jasprit Bumrah, we tried to not repeat what we did earlier," the Chief selector said.
"There is a reason behind resting players, the selectors don't enjoy changing teams and captains. But considering the volume of cricket and the load management of players, we have to keep looking after their bodies. At the end of the day, they are human. But he (Bumrah) will be back soon, there are good teams working with him and I'm hopeful that he'll start playing for India soon," he added.
While Hanuma Vihari has been dropped from the squad for the two-Test series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship, Ajinkya Rahane continues to miss out on selection after having been dropped for the series against Sri Lanka and the fifth Test against England.
"The doors are always open for those who perform. Cheteshwar Pujara performed and he is there (in the team). Ajinkya Rahane is trying hard, and also scored some runs, but to return to the team he has to score more runs. And he knows that, he's in constant touch with the selection committee," said Sharma about the exclusion of Rahane.
"The Ranji Trophy is coming up and Vijay Hazare is also there. Let's hope that he performs well, the doors are always open for those who perform. If you look at the middle order and how packed it is, even Hanuma Vihari doesn't have a place. So to break into this, the kind of performance that is required, the selectors don't have to tell Ajinkya about it. He understands that. He is a great player, played 90-odd Test matches and he knows how to get into the team," he added.
India's tour of Bangladesh starts with the ODI leg, with the three matches to be played on December 4, 7 and 10 in Dhaka.
The first Test will be played from December 14-18 in Chattogram and the teams will return to Dhaka for the second Test which will be held from December 22-26. The Test matches are part of the ICC Test Championship.
India Test squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav
India ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Yash Dayal
Electing to bat first, Smriti made an attacking 47 and shared a 96-run stand for the first wicket with Shafali Verma, who smacked a fine 55. Though Bangladesh made a fightback by dismissing the duo and took some scalps in the end, Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 35 off 24 balls as India posted 159/5 in 20 overs. The bowlers then rose to the occasion to restrict Bangladesh to 100/7 in their 20 overs.
"It was disappointing in the last match the way we played. We came back well (after the loss to Pakistan). Really proud of the girls. Today it was a total team performance. Shafali batted well at the start, Jemi did well in the end. I liked Deepti's approach for those five balls. We could have scored 10 runs more while batting," said Smriti in the post-match presentation ceremony.
With the ball, Shafali and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each while Renuka Thakur and Sneh Rana had a scalp each in a bowling show where everyone's economy rate was below eight
"We were clinical as a bowling unit. We have to keep bowling dot balls and make them make mistakes. It is not easy for pace bowlers on this track to pick wickets. All of them actually bowled really well," added Smriti.
Shafali, named Player of the Match for her all-round performance, was happy over getting her first T20I fifty since March 2021 and break the chain of low scores. "I am always thinking about what the team wants (with bat and ball) and am always ready for that. I was thinking about bowling in good areas. While batting, it was tough because the ball was coming low."
"It's all because of the hard work and it (half-century) has come after a long time, so I am happy. Want to thank my family and friends for their support. We are very happy with our performance, everyone played really well."
Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana was left to rue her side's inability to stop the Indian openers from getting to 59/0 in the power-play and her openers not getting an explosive start in the stiff chase. "We didn't bowl well in the powerplay, we bowled too many loose balls. We couldn't get many runs in our powerplay either."
"Our main bowlers couldn't execute their plans. We could't capitalize on the loose deliveries when we were batting though. Rumana (Ahmed, 3/27 in three overs) came in later, in order to compromise for the runs leaked by the bowlers in the powerplay."
For India, the last-ball draw against Afghanistan in their final Super Four encounter on Tuesday will serve as an eye opener despite all the top guns, including skipper Rohit Sharma and his in-form opening partner Shikhar Dhawan were rested for the inconsequential tie.
Chasing a competitive 253, India under Mahendra Singh Dhoni got off to a flier from the new opening pair of Lokesh Rahul (60) and Ambati Rayudu (57) before a mini collapse, coupled with a few run-outs and umpiring errors, eventually resulted in a tie.
With both Rohit and Shikhar set to return to the playing XI, and Rahul and Rayudu in equally top form, it will be interesting to see if the Indian team management decides to play Rahul in the middle order.
In such a scenario, the axe could be either on Dinesh Karthik or Kedar Jadhav, but the latter's part-time off-spinning ability gives him an upper hand.
Going into the final, India, who made as many as five changes in their tie against Afghanistan, will be boosted by the return of the regulars, especially the new ball pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who were dearly missed in the death overs.
India will also hold a psychological advantage over the Mashrafe Mortaza-led team after their seven-wicket win in their first Super Four tie of the ongoing Asia Cup.
Bangladesh, who defeated Pakistan in their do-or-die Super Four clash on Wednesday, will battle against all odds, including injuries to a few key players in their attempt to lift the trophy for the first time. Bangladesh finished runners-up twice -- to Pakistan in 2012 and to India in 2016.
Bangladesh also had been handicapped by injuries to some of their key players. On the opening day, opener Tamim Iqbal was ruled out with a wrist fracture, then the finger injury of experienced al-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has resurfaced again.
But on the positive side, former skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, who is the second highest run-scorer in the tournament so far, belted a brilliant 99 against Pakistan to strengthen Bangladesh's shaky middle order.
The bowling department will be once again spearheaded by the skipper Mortaza and left-armer Mustafizur Rahman. Mustafizur, who has been off-colour for most part of the tournament, came back to form against Pakistan when he scalped four wickets for 43 runs.
In the absence of the spin spearhead in Shakib, off-spinners Mehidy Hasan and Mahmudullah will be Mortaza's go-to bowlers in the middle overs.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Manish Pandey, Siddarth Kaul, Lokesh Rahul and Deepak Chahar.
Bangladesh: Masrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Mithun, Litton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and Abu Haider Rony.
After India scored 112/9, thanks to Harmanpreet Singh's 56, Bangladesh managed to get over the line in the final ball of their innings. Other Indian batters struggled against Bangla bowlers as Rumana Ahmed and Khadija Tul Kubra scalped two wickets each.
Chasing 113 to win, Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed scored 27 and 23 respectively for Bangladesh. Poonam Yadav's four-wicket haul went in vain for the Indians in the final game today.
Earlier on Saturday, India dished out a clinical performance to hammer arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets and enter their seventh straight final.
Going in to the final, India will be wary of Bangladesh's prowess, having lost to them in the league stages and would aim to avenge the humiliation en-route to their seventh consecutive title.
Against the Pakistanis, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had a rather easy outing barring the tricky chase that saw them lose two wickets with just five runs on the board.
Electing to bat, Pakistan folded up for a meagre 72/7 with Sana Mir (20 not out) and Nahida Khan (18) managing to reach the double figures in a lacklustre batting effort.
In response, Harmanpreet (34 not out) and her deputy Smriti Mandhana (38) steered India to a comfortable victory with 23 balls to spare after starting on a shaky note.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht spun a web around the Pakistanis with three wickets, and was well assisted by the other Indian bowlers who stuck to a disciplined effort.
During their chase, India got off to a forgettable start, losing former skipper Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma for ducks with the scoreboard ticking 5/2.
But thereafter the defending champions did not look back as the left-right combo of Smriti and Harmanpreet forged a brilliant 65-run third wicket stand to take the side within sniffing distance of victory.
Later in the day, Bangladesh rode on a collective batting effort to score 130/4 after electing to bat. In reply, the hosts could manage a paltry 60/9 in their 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 72/7 (Sana Mir 20 not out, Nahida Khan 18; Ekta Bisht 3/14) lose to India 75/3 (Smriti Mandhana 38, Harmanpreet Kaur 34 not out) by 7 wickets.
Bangladesh 130/4 (Shamima Sultana 43, Ayasha Rahman 31; Winifred Duraisingam 2/19) beat Malaysia 60/9 (Winifred Duraisingam 17, Mas Elysa 14; Rumana Ahmed 3/8) by 70 runs.
Chasing a healthy 177, Bangladesh were off to a forgettable start, thanks to Sundar's (3/22) exploits with the new ball as opener Liton Das (7) and one-down Soumya Sarkar (1) perished to the tweaker cheaply.
Stumper Mushfiqur Rahim raged a lone battle with a 55-ball unbeaten 72, comprising eight fours and a six but that was not enough for his team as Bangladesh could only muster 159/6 in the end.
Sundar came back to pack back the other opener Tamim Iqbal (27), who looked threatening with his four boundaries and a six off Shardul Thakur's first over before losing his leg stick to the 18-year-old tweaker.
Tottering at 40/3, Bangladesh's hopes were further dented when leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (1/21) saw the back of skipper Mahmudullah (11) caught by Lokesh Rahul.
Despite losing his partners at the other end, Rahim, who came in at No.4 started well, occasionally dispatching the odd balls to the boundary until Sabbir Rahman (27) joined him to add 65 runs for the fifth wicket.
But the joy was shortlived as Thakur came back to shatter the defences of Rahman, reducing Bangladesh to 126/5 even as the Indian bowlers tightened the flow of runs towards the later part of the innings.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj, who came into the playing XI replacing left-armer Jaydev Unadkat, was at the receiving end of Rahim's aggression but managed to contain the Bangladeshis towards the end.
Earlier, the Indian openers Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (35) clicked at the right time with a 70-run stand after being put in to bat.
Skipper Rohit, who was out of form for quite a long time, returned to form and slammed his 13th T20 fifty (off 42 balls).
Aiming to cement his place in the T20 side, veteran Suresh Raina (47) also contributed handsomely to the cause.
The last four overs saw some brilliant hammering from Rohit and Raina before the southpaw, who was three short of his 50 at that point, was caught by Sarkar off Rubel Hossain. His 30-ball knock comprised five boundaries and two sixes.
The last ball of the innings saw Rohit, who played 61 balls, getting run out while going for a single and thus India posted 176 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief Scores: India 176/3 (Rohit Sharma 89, Suresh Raina 47; Rubel Hossain 2/27) beat Bangladesh 159/6 (Mushfiqur Rahim 72 not out, Tamim Iqbal 27, Sabbir Rahman 27; Washington Sundar 3/22, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/21) by 17 runs.
The Prithvi Shaw-led team outclassed their next-door neighbours with consummate ease scoring 265 and then bundling out the hosts for a paltry 134 in 42.1 overs.
"The boys really executed the plans well as we have practised in the net session. Really looking forward to the contest against Pakistan," skipper Shaw said after the match.
Abhishek Sharma, who missed out on the Man of the match award to his Punjab teammate Shubhman Gill (86 off 94 balls), was undoubtedly the star performer with his brilliant all- round show.
He first scored a quick 50 (off 49 balls) and then took a couple of wickets (2/11) along with two catches.
Such was India's domination that despite a lower-order batting collapse, their bowlers scythed through Bangladesh middle-order with speedsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti (3/18 in 7.1 overs) and Shivam Mavi (2/27 in 8 overs) once again working up brisk pace.
Save opener Pinak Ghosh (43), none of the other Bangladeshi batsmen could cross the 20-run mark in what turned out to be a virtually one-sided contest.
Nagarkoti, who is expected to be sought after uncapped pick at the IPL auctions, once again regularly hit the 140 kmph mark beating the batsmen for sheer pace.
Some of the Bangladesh's lower-order batsmen looked mortally scared as they were seen retreating towards the leg- stump trying to avoid getting hurt.
The Indian spinners -- left-arm trio of Shiva Singh (0/29 in 7 overs), Anukul Roy (1/14 in 5 overs) and Abhishek (2/11 in 5 overs) kept it really tight as the Bangladesh batsmen found it even difficult rotate the strike with singles and doubles.
Even Ishan Porel (0/8 in 5 overs) coming back after recuperating from ankle injury was fast and accurate during his only spell of the match.
While Rahul Dravid's boys will gear up for their semi- final against Pakistan, the only worrying factor will be lack of the contribution from the lower-order, who were exposed for the first time.
From a comfortable 215 for 4, India lost six wickets for 50 runs on a pitch that was slowish in nature with strokeplay being difficult.
Dravid will have to look into this issue as Pakistan are expected to be a far more accomplished team with better quality bowling attack during the semi-final scheduled on January 30.
However there was no stopping Shubhman, who hit nine boundaries in his 94 ball knock.
Someone who loves taking the aerial route, Shubhman was seen hitting a lot of balls down the ground as he shared 86- run second wicket stand with Shaw (40, 54 balls) and 74 for the third wicket with glovesman Desai (34).
"Rahul sir (Dravid) had told me to play along the ground more and I tried doing that," Gill said with a sheepish grin as Dravid standing among the players had a hearty laugh showing thumbs up to Gill.
"We had initially thought that we could get upto 280 to 300 but the wicket was on the slower side," said Gill.
Once Gill was gone, the cheeky Abhishek kept the scoreboard ticking despite losing out on partners as he hit six boundaries. It was courtesy Abhishek that India got-past the 200-run mark.
"He is a brilliant all-rounder and he contributed really well today," skipper Shaw said today.
On Tuesday, Rahul scored 108 runs, which included 12 fours and 4 sixes during the course of his 99-ball inning, as India defeated Bangladesh by 95 runs at the Sophia Gardens.
Although, BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad had nominated Vijay Shankar for the much-debated no. 4 spot, Kohli hinted that Rahul could take that position during the course of the showpiece event.
"The biggest positive to come out of this game was the way KL batted at four," ESPNcricinfo quoted Kohli as saying after the match. "All the other people know their role pretty well, so it was important that KL gets runs because he is such a sound player. He can get the scoreboard ticking and you saw that -- a great example of the skill-set that he has."
Asked if he was ready to bat at the number four spot, Rahul, while being diplomatic, said he was flexible with any role the team gave him.
"It is a team game and you need to be flexible and be ready to bat wherever, or as a player you need to be ready to take up whatever role is given to you," the 27-year-old batter said.
"Every batsman who has played at this level knows how to handle pressure and knows how to handle the roles and responsibilities given to him," he added.
Not just his batting and wicket-keeping, even his on-field presence proves to be a blessing for Virat Kohli as he helps the Indian skipper in strategy making and setting fields for the bowlers while keeping from behind the stumps.
On Tuesday, one such incident was witnessed during the course of India's second warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Sophia Gardens which the Men in Blue won comfortably by 95 runs.
Dhoni, while batting in the 40th over of the Indian innings, stopped Bangladesh leg-spinner Sabbir Rahman on his tracks and asked him to move the square-leg fielder towards his left. And just like an obedient ward, Sabbir did not even ask his captain Masrafe Mortaza and promptly moved the fielder as advised by the Indian wicket-keeper-batsman.
The 37-year-old scored a brilliant 78-ball 113 as India posted a mammoth 360 run target for Bangladesh. In reply, the Bangla Tigers were bundled out 264 in the 50th over of their innings.
Kohli and Co will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5 at The Ageas Bowl.
Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq posted a video of Ali making these comments on a TV show on Pakistan-based channel Ary News before Sarfaraz Ahmed's men defeated New Zealand by six wickets in Birmingham on Wednesday.
"India will never want Pakistan to make it to the semi-finals. They have matches remaining against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Everyone saw the fashion in which they won against Afghanistan," said Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan
"They'll play in such a way that nobody will come to know what has happened. What happened in India's match against Afghanistan? What did Australia do against India? What did David Warner do?" asked the 48-year-old as he claimed that India intentionally played poorly against Afghanistan and that David Warner deliberately underperformed against India.
Pakistan, after suffering an embarrassing 89-run loss to India, made a strong comeback in the tournament, defeating South Africa and New Zealand. They have seven points in as many games and are currently locked in a fierce four-way battle for the semi-final spot with England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In order to qualify for the knockout stage, the 1992 champions need to win their remaining two games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh to be played on June 29 (Saturday) and July 5 respectively.
India, on the other hand, are sitting pretty in the top four with 11 points from six games.
Speaking to IANS, sources in the know of developments confirmed that it has been decided to give Kohli a break during the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.
"Yes, he will be skipping the T20 series as he has been playing non-stop and needs a break considering that he has been part of the Australia series, the IPL, the World Cup, the tour of West Indies and now the series against South Africa. Managing the workload of the players, especially those playing all formats, is something that is a priority with this team to ensure that the players are fresh and on the top of their game at all times," the source said.
The selection for the T20I series is to be done on October 24 and President-elect Sourav Ganguly has said that he will take the opportunity to speak to the selectors on M.S. Dhoni. The former India skipper has been on a sabbatical since the World Cup in England in July.
Meanwhile, Kohli is set to return for the two-Test series against the Bangla Tigers as he has made it clear that the format is close to his heart and he wants to leave no stones unturned to ensure that India are crowned champions in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. "Yes, he will be back for the Tests," the source informed.
In fact, after the second Test against South Africa in Pune, he further drove home the point and said: "It's been nice, but looking at the larger picture, the Test Championship, every game has even more value. We're not going to take the foot off the gas in the third Test, we're looking for a result again, and hopefully make it 3-0. Because these points are important, we understand that, with the Test Championship it's going to be very crucial, at all the stages, when we play away from home as well. And no one's going to relax at any stage, that's a guarantee."
The prolific Sanju Samson and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned to the side for the T20 Internationals.
As has been the case in the past, Rohit Sharma will lead the T20 squad in Kohli's absence
The squad for the Test series against the neighbours remained unchanged after India's 3-0 whitewash of South Africa recently. The series starts November 3 and comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests.
Also finding a place in the T20 squad was Mumbai seamer Shardul Thakur while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was rested.
Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini was omitted on fitness grounds.
"Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar could make a comeback from injury in the next series (against the West Indies)," chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said.
Injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's return will take longer, he added.
India's squad for T20I series against Bangladesh:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(wk), Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Squad for Test series against Bangladesh:
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Saha (wk), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant.
"Great opportunity and massive game in Eden Gardens against India, who also hasn't played a D/N Test. It is new to both sides and it will probably bring the two teams together," Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said.
"Both teams not quite knowing what is going to happen, so it is a challenge we want to take. Some of our players were skeptical about it, but we are excited. We don't know what brand of ball will be used, and we will probably have little time to prepare but we are excited by it."
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the man behind making this happen as he pushed the BCB to play under floodlights in a bid to pull crowds to the stadiums.
Ganguly met Kohli for the first time since becoming BCCI President at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai last Thursday, and it is believed the former India skipper had a word regarding Day-Night Tests.
The Indian team was earlier not keen on playing Day-Night Tests. India had previously dodged plans to play a pink-ball Test in Adelaide during their tour Down Under last year.
There was also reluctance on India's part when a move to host a Day-Night Test against the West Indies at home was brushed under the carpet.
Ganguly has always backed pink-ball Tests, even when he was the head of the BCCI's technical committee in 2016-17. Ganguly had then recommended that domestic tournaments be played under lights.
Rohit, who was getting throwdowns from batting coach Vikram Rathour and Sri Lanka's Nuwan Seneviratne at the nets, left the net practice session after he was hit on his left thigh, just above his knee.
There was no confirmation or update from the support staff. The 32-year-old quietly left the nets and didn't take part in further practice session.
In the absence of Virat Kohli, the onus of batting lies mainly on Rohit, who has been in prolific form in the recent times.
After scoring five hundreds in the World Cup in the UK, the right-handed batter made an emphatic start as opener in Test cricket, scoring three hundreds, including a double ton, against South Africa in the recently concluded series which India won 3-0.
Earlier in the day, both Rathour and Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo played down concerns over the deteriorating weather conditions in the national capital.
Domingo said that while the conditions are not ideal, they cannot complain as "no one was falling sick or dying".
Rathour, on the other hand, said Team India players are used to playing in such weather conditions and so, it would not be a problem for them.
Less than a week after he took reins of BCCI, Ganguly, who had introduced pink ball at domestic level as the technical committee chairman three years ago, was successful in changing the Indian Cricket Board's stance.
India thus will finally play their first ever day/night Test versus Bangladesh at Eden Gardens here from November 22-26, about four years after Australia and New Zealand set it going in Adelaide.
"Honestly I don't know why and what was the reason they did not want to play and accept the D/N Test (in Adelaide). I met him for an hour and the first question was we need to have day/night Tests and the answer in three seconds was let's go ahead and do that," Ganguly said about meeting Kohli ahead of the selection committee meeting in Mumbai on October 24.
Ganguly was talking at the book launch of five-time ICC 'Umpire of the Year' Simon Taufel, titled 'Finding The Gaps'.
The Indian team had previously put down Australia's request for a pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval last year, while suggestion to host West Indies in day/night Tests too had got shelved.
"I really don't know what happened in the past and what was the reason but I found him absolutely acceptable to play D/N Tests. He realises and thinks that empty stands in Tests is not the right way forward."
Ganguly firmly believed that this concept will help Test cricket regain its popularity in the sub-continent at a time when lukewarm response during India's 3-0 whitewash of South Africa became a cause for concern.
"I know T20 every stand is full in every game. But proper management of Test cricket will bring back crowd. It's a start for India. I think with this concept Test cricket will be back on its feet."
"Now people's lives have changed, you cannot leave offices so that's when you have to make adaptability. That's important. Most number of times change is good. A lot of time, we hold on to things thinking what you believe is right," Ganguly said.
Urging the need for better marketing, he said: "It's when you're forced to come out of your comfort zone, you actually find out it's better than what you think. I think pink ball will bring back crowd and the Test cricket needs to be marketed a lot more."
Ganguly further recalled the epic 2001 Eden Test when India bounced back to defeat Australia by 171 runs.
"My 100th Test was a Boxing Day Test at MCG. You really got fortunate to get in that position in your Test career. There were close to 70,000 people in the stands in Test match on day one. You should see the Ashes also."
Rohit has been trading the top spot with Virat Kohli for some time now and it was the latter who was leading the chart with 2,450 runs to his name. Rohit was eight runs behind Kohli going into the first T20I against Bangladesh, and he wiped off the gap in the first over of the match.
However, Rohit (9) did not last long as Shaiful Islam trapped him in front of the stumps in the fifth ball of the first over. He took a review but the replays showed 'umpire's call', which meant he had to walk back to the pavillion.
It was Rohit's 99th T20I, taking him past Mahendra Singh Dhoni for most appearances in the shortest format for India. He is now tied with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on second in the list of most appearances in T20Is overall.
Rohit has enjoyed a rich vein of form this year. After top scoring in the 2019 World Cup with 648 runs, he made his debut as an opener for India in Test cricket during the recent series against South Africa. He ended up scoring 529 runs in the series, which included a maiden Test double hundred.
In what was the 1000th T20 international, Bangladesh came out with an all-round performance as they defeated India by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Needing 149 to break the streak of eight straight losses against India, Bangladesh rode on an unbeaten 60 (43 balls, 4x8, 6x1) by Mushfiqur to chase down the target with three balls to spare.
The match looked evenly poised when Bangladesh needed 22 runs off the last two overs. However, Mushfiqur collected 18 runs off the 19th over bowled by Khaleel Ahmed and tilted the game in the visitor's favour.
Skipper Mahmudullah then finished things off in style, hitting debutant Shivam Dube for a six over long-on in the third ball of the final over to script a historic victory.
Earlier, put into bat, India got off to a poor start as they lost stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma in the opening over. Rohit (9), who on Sunday went past Virat Kohli to become the leading run-scorer in T20Is, couldn't take his Test form into the shortest format as Shafiul Islam trapped in front of the stumps in the fifth delivery of the match.
Lokesh Rahul then joined Shikhar Dhawan in the middle and the duo made sure the hosts didn't lose any more wicket in the Powerplay. Both adopted a cautious approach and played the balls on their merit, hitting boundaries whenever they got the opportunity. The two took India's score to 35/1 at the end of six overs before Rahul (15 off 17 balls) lost his wicket to leg-spinner Aminul Islam.
Shreyas Iyer (22 off 13 balls) looked good during his brief stay and smashed two sixes and a four before losing his wicket to Aminul while trying to go for his third maximum.
Dhawan, who was holding the Indian innings together from one end, then threw away his wicket just when he was looking to up the ante. After scoring 41 off 42 balls, the left-handed opener got run out following a miscommunication with Rishabh Pant.
Shivam Dube failed to impress on his maiden international outing as he could score just one run before he was caught brilliantly by Afif Hossain off his own bowling.
Pant then stitched an 18-run partnership with Krunal Pandya before getting out after contributing 27 runs to India's tally.
However, Pandya (15 off 8) and Washington Sundar (14 off 5) provided India the much-needed impetus as they collected 16 runs in the final over to help their team get close to the 150-run mark.
Bangladesh also began their run chase poorly as they lost opener Liton Das in the very first over. However, Naim Sheikh and new batsman Soumya Sarkar then launched a counter-attack to put the opposition under pressure. Both played freely and by the end of the seventh over, they took Bangladesh to 53/1, looking set to take the game away from the hosts.
However, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal then had Naim caught by Dhawan at long-on, providing some much-needed respite to the Indian crowd.
At the end of the 10th over, Bangladesh were 62/2 with Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim at the crease. The experienced duo batted sensibly and made sure that there was no loss of wicket till the 15th over. They took the total to 99/5, with Bangladesh needing 50 runs off the final five overs.
Sarkar and Mushfiqur stitched a 60-run partnership and kept the visitors on course for a first ever T20I victory over India before the former was castled by Khaleel Ahmed for a well-made 39 with Bangladesh still needing 35 runs off 18 balls.
However, Mushfiqur didn't let his team down and used all his experience and stayed there right till the end with skipper Mahmudullah (15*) to take their team across the line. The two were involved in an unbeaten 40-run stand.
The second match of the series will be played in Rajkot on November 7.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 154/3 in 19.3 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 60*, Soumya Sarkar 39; Yuzvendra Chahal 1/24) beat India 148/6 (Shikhar Dhawan 41, Rishabh Pant 27; Aminul Islam 2/22) by 7 wickets.
Chasing an easy target of 154 on far better track compared to Feroz Shah Kotla, Rohit showed the gulf in class between him and the others on the park, hitting six fours and half a dozen of risk-free sixes as India chased the target in 15.4 overs.
The three-match T20 series now stands at 1-1 and the final game will be played in Nagpur on November 10.
Such was Rohit's dominance during the 118-run opening stand that it managed to overshadow Shikhar Dhawan's (31 off 27 balls) wretched form.
Earlier, Indian bowlers led by Yuzvendra Chahal made an impressive comeback to restrict Bangladesh to a sub-par 153 for 6 and then the dew also played its part on a good track where the ball was coming onto the bat.
Rohit teed off in the fourth over of the innings when he hit an off-drive, followed by a cover drive and then a straight six off Mustafizur Rahaman.
It was difficult to comeback from that point for Bangladesh as the Indian captain got boundaries and sixes at will.
Pacer Shafiul Islam was given the charge and hit over long-on for a six and slow sweep off spinner Afif Hossain brought up his 18th half-century in this format.
When off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain Saikat (0/21 in 1 over) tried to come round the wicket to try a negative line, Rohit hammered him for three sixes in the arc between long-on and mid-wicket.
Just when a fifth hundred in this format looked there for the taking, the skipper was out trying to hit a seventh six. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul then completed the formalities with 26 balls to spare.
Put into bat, Bangladesh could not capitalize on a good start as Chahal's (2-28) double breakthrough in the 13th over pegged the visitors back. A quick-fire 30 off 21 balls by skipper Mahmudullah Riyad helped them cross the 150-mark.
Openers Liton Das (29 off 21 balls, 4x4) and Mohammad Naim (36 off 31 balls, 5x4) shared a 60 run opening stand.
Naim slammed profligate left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (1-44 from 4 overs) for three successive boundaries to start on rousing note.
Seamer Deepak Chahar (1-25) and off-spinner Washington Sundar (1-25) did manage to stem the flow of runs but Khaleel's poor show continued.
Chahal, on his introduction, had almost removed a set Liton, but Rishabh Pant's urge to complete glovework quickly gave the batsman lifeline.
The TV replays showed that while whipping the bails off, Pant collected the ball in front of the stumps and hence it was declared no-ball. As per the law, every part of wicket-keeper's gloves has to be behind the stumps.
Das then hammered two successive fours to add insult to injury.
He got another reprieve on 26 after skipper Rohit Sharma dropped him at square-leg following a mix-up with Shivam Dube and Pant. But Pant made up for his mistake and ran Das out, with a direct hit in the eighth over, to break the opening stand.
Das's wicket slowed the scoring rate and that put Naim under pressure, who then gave a dolly to Shreyas Iyer at deep-mid-wicket off Washington as Bangladesh slumped were 83 for 2 in the 11th over.
And then Yuzvendra picked two wickets in the 13th over --Mushfiqur Rahim (4 off 6 balls), who gave a sitter to Krunal Pandya and then removed a set Soumya Sarkar (30 off 20 balls; 2x4, 1x6) -- as Bangladesh were struggling at 103/4. Sarkar was stumped by Pant and they never got the momentum back.
Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were left out of the T20 series against the West Indies and South Africa after the 50-over World Cup. The selectors did not pick them as they wanted to try out some fringe players ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.
While Chahal has made a successful comeback with a stellar showing against Bangladesh, Kuldeep is waiting his opportunity.
"This is a very, very new unit. But Chahal, for the last two years has been extremely consistent with how he has performed in white ball cricket. Even in the ODI format, he has done extremely well for us," said Rohit ahead of the series decider against Bangladesh here on Saturday.
"He bowled well in the IPL, and then his performance got recognised and he was picked for the Indian team in the ODI format. Since then, he's been one of the important members of the squad, and he's proved that in this series, how important he can be in the middle overs."
Rohit feels Chahal's ability to outthink the batsman is what makes him different from others. The leggie took two crucial wickets in the same over in Rajkot, Mushfiqur Rahim and Soumya Sarkar, to put the brakes on Bangladesh's scoring rate.
"He knows what he's trying to do, and he exactly knows what the batsman is trying to do. He's basically trying to stay ahead of the game, ahead of the batsman. That makes him a little more challenging for any batsman. He has understood that really well, and he's got variation and skills.
"If you have that in this format, you will definitely succeed. He's bowled well in the middle overs and even in the PowerPlay. He's not afraid to bowl even at the end. I used him in the 18th over as well and he bowled pretty well in that over as well. He gives us so much flexibility," said Rohit.
Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said his team will be looking to put the inexperienced Indian attack under pressure on Sunday. Rohit, too, acknowledges that his bowlers are inexperienced but "there can't be a better stage to learn".
"Yes, they are slightly inexperienced. This is the right time for them to learn. We always say you should play domestic cricket and learn. But I feel that till you play international cricket, you won't know where you stand as a bowler. This is a very good challenge for the whole bowling group," said Rohit.
The young attack comprises Deepak Chahar, Washington Sundar, Khaleel Ahmed and Rahul Chahar.
"An international team will always challenge you. Their batsmen will always challenge you, put you under pressure. Only when these things happen will our bowlers emerge. We have seen that in this format when you have 1 or 2 bad games, you can come under pressure and you are not able to execute your skills."
Rohit has scored a mountain of runs against Bangladesh and even in the last game, he made a match-winning 85. Asked if he likes playing against Bangladesh and the secret behind his success against them, Rohit quipped: "f I say what is the mystery, they will know and they will restrict me. I don't want to reveal that."
He also said that he was not disappointed at missing out on a hundred in his 100th match.
"I was not looking to score a hundred, I was looking to win the game. Really happy about that."
Rohit is expecting a sporting wicket for the series decider.
"Nagpur generally is a very good track to play cricket actually. It assists the bowlers also if you are bowling in the right channels. Even the Rajkot pitch there was something in there for the bowlers. Our spinners especially were getting a lot of turn. The pitch doesn't matter if you have skills and variations in your armoury."
Chahar, who had earlier scalped for Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar, delivered instantly in the 13th over and started the collapse. The rest as they say is history. Chahar finished with figures of 6/7 -- the best in T20Is - and also became the second Indian to pick a hat-trick in the format.
Speaking to IANS, Chahar said that while everyone is talking about him picking the hat-trick and winning India the game in conditions not suited for bowlers, it is the faith that skipper Rohit showed in him that makes him happy.
"He told me I will use you as a Bumrah today. I will bowl you in the crucial overs and that was motivating for me. I love it when I am given responsibility under pressure because that makes me feel that I am being trusted. I feel bad when nobody trusts me. To get that confidence from the captain felt good at that stage of the game," he smiled.
It is not often that you have players liking the fact that he is compared to a teammate, but Chahar says there is no doubting the fact that Bumrah is the No.1 bowler at present in the format and it is a matter of pride to be compared to the pacer.
"Imandar hona chahiye (You should be honest)…I know where he stands and I also know where I stand. He is the No.1 bowler in the format and as a T20 bowler, he has everything, be it pace or control. He is the No.1 bowler for me and saying that is not a shame. I am not competing with him and my job is to do well. You need to focus on the game and the team should win and that has to be the priority.
"When they were cruising at the end of 12 overs, I wanted to walk up to him and ask for the ball from the captain, but I didn't because I knew the captain would have his plan and give me the ball. The whole thought was that we shouldn't lose the game and the series. What matters when you play for the country is to perform and win matches," he explained.
More than the wickets he picked, it was the confidence he showed despite the dew that had people sit up and take note and the pacer says that playing in Chennai has helped him learn the art.
"Playing in Chennai has helped a lot. In Chennai there is a lot of dew and sweat and I have made mistakes and bowled no-balls in those situations, but I learnt from that. I have learnt from that experience on what to bowl in these situations and how to go about the job," he said.
Talking of Chennai and IPL is incomplete without bringing in M.S. Dhoni and Chahar said that the former India skipper doesn't believe in sharing too many inputs and backs you to do the job.
"I keep speaking to Dhoni, but Mahi bhai doesn't give you too many inputs. He explains things to you in match situations when he feels you need help. He always says that you are a professional and you should know what your strengths and weaknesses are and how you should deal with a certain situation. He gives you that confidence that you are good to perform at the top level," he smiled.
Pundits have often spoken about how he is more of a new-ball bowler, but Chahar silenced all with his performance on Sunday. And the CSK pacer says that it was more about people assuming things because he always had variations up his sleeves.
"People assumed that and didn't give me a chance to bowl at the death. Whenever I got a chance, I bowled well. I have bowled before as well, even for my state. Generally you don't bowl those bowlers at the death who bowl at less than 130kph, but I don't have that issue. I have bowled around 135kph even in the IPL and say in CSK I wasn't used because Mahi bhai had other bowlers.
"It depends also on the captain. Team requirement is also something that you need to look into. Like on Sunday we had only two fast bowlers in Khaleel Ahmed and me. Shivam Dube isn't a proper fast bowler. So, Rohit bhaiya used me in the death. When I played before, the set-up needed me to bowl at the top," he pointed.
Every player is preparing keeping the World T20 in mind and while Chahar too wants to go ahead and represent the country in the showpiece event in Australia in 2020, he wants to keep working on his game and get better with each passing day.
"World T20 is about 11 months away and that is a long time. Obviously I have that in the mind and we are looking to win the trophy, but as a sportsman you can't think so far as there is a lot of international cricket before that as well as the IPL. I want to gain more trust from the management till then and there will be times where I will get hit and I want to still gain the trust of the team so that they support me. Performing in every match is the goal.
"I take every game as the last as the competition is very high and the fast bowling unit is doing really well. Cementing your place in this team is very tough, so I look to perform every time I get an opportunity," he signed off.
On one of the bounciest tracks in recent times, Bangladesh was bundled out for 150 in 58.3 overs, lasting barely two sessions and a few overs more here on Thursday.
With ample time at their disposal, India ended the day at 86 for 1 in 26 overs, losing Rohit Sharma's (6) wicket to Abu Jayed.
The notable aspect during the Indian innings was Cheteshwar Pujara (46 batting) outscoring the more flamboyant Mayank Agarwal (37 batting) during their unbroken 72-run stand, leaving ominous signs for the four-man Bangladesh attack.
The first day's proceedings starkly highlighted the gulf between the world's No.1 and No.9 Test sides.
Umesh Yadav (2/47 in 14.3 overs), Ishant Sharma (2/20 in 12 overs) and Mohammed Shami (3/27 in 12 overs) made life difficult for a team whose batsmen lacked both in technique and temperament.
A luckless Ravichandran Ashwin (2/43 in 16 overs), let down by Ajinkya Rahane in the slips cordon, also had a couple of clean-bowled dismissals in his kitty in the post-lunch session.
The three Indian pacers consistently bowled at 140 kmph, with seam, swing and bounce making life miserable for Bangladeshi batsmen.
Each of the three displayed different qualities and it was evident from the manner of dismissals.
Ishant's bowling was about disconcerting bounce from the length that had opener Shadman Islam caught behind and the occasional fuller delivery holding its line that forced Liton Das to edge one to Virat Kohli in the slips.
For Umesh, it started with a brisk pace and getting it to seam into other opener Imrul Kayes and making him expect more incoming deliveries. Just when Kayes was getting used to a pattern, Umesh produced away going deliveries for the left-hander, squaring him up and the edge flew to slips.
He again came in the post-tea session during which the tailenders looked scared, retreating towards square leg in fear of getting hurt.
Mohammed Shami, probably the craftiest among the contemporary Indian pacers, showed there is no one better when it comes to getting reverse swing with 50-over old SG Test ball.
Mushfiqur Rahim (43), Bangladesh's top scorer, who led a charmed life and was dropped twice, didn't have a clue when one swung back to knock the stumps back after he was beaten by away going deliveries.
The next one by Shami swung even more as Mehidy Hasan Miraj (0) was adjudged leg-before although a DRS call could have saved him had he opted for one.
In the first session, Shami had dismissed Mohammed Mithun with conventional inswing.
Even without Jasprit Bumrah, who is nursing a stress fracture, the unit looked so formidable that one could sympathise with Bangladeshi batsmen facing their combined might.
They attacked relentlessly and it didn't matter that India wasn't exactly having a great day as far as slip catching was concerned. Umesh could have got Mushfiqur early had Kohli latched on to one in the third slip.
Ashwin had both Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad dropped by Rahane at first slip.
It didn't cost the team much but the frustrated bowler then decided that breaching the defence was the best option as Mominul Haque (36) and Mahmudullah were dismissed due to poor judgement and shot selection respectively.
First, he angled one to left-hander Mominul, who thought it will be a conventional off-break and decided to leave the delivery.
To his horror, it came in with the angle to peg the off-stump back.
Mahmudullah was lucky when Rahane dropped a regulation catch at slips but a rank bad shot brought about his downfall.
The right-hander tried to sweep Ashwin from outside the off-stump and in the process was bowled round the legs, leaving all three stumps exposed.
Agarwal's third Test hundred, 243 off 330 balls, formed the cornerstone of India's 493 for 6, which gave the home side a sizeable lead of 343 runs.
Friday solely belonged to Agarwal, who in this particular innings, managed to overshadow a batting line-up that has Rohit Sharma (6), Cheteshwar Pujara (54 off 72 balls), skipper Virat Kohli (0) and Ajinkya Rahane (86 off 172 balls) in its ranks.
Agarwal's partnership of 91 for the second wicket with Pujara and 190 for the fourth wicket with Rahane were however important in the context of the Indian innings.
A whirlwind partnership of 123 in 23.5 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (60 batting) for the fifth wicket only added insult to injury for Bangladesh.
The match might be over inside three days if India declare overnight.
Bangladesh's brittle batting line-up may not have the mental capacity to withstand India's pace barrage if first innings was any indicator.
For Agarwal, his voracious appetite for runs, carefully cultivated through solid performances at the domestic and India 'A' level, is paying dividends.
Exactly one year ago, Agarwal was in the fringe, scoring those "Daddy Hundreds" but lost out to the prodigious talent of Prithvi Shaw, who was given preference and a headstart at the international arena.
Destiny, however, had other plans as Shaw got injured and also lost a bit of focus. That was the opening Agarwal was looking for and he is showing with each innings that he is not going anywhere too soon.
The Shubman Gills and the Shaws may have to wait a wee bit longer.
Having scored those tough runs Down Under, Agarwal has now earned the right to consolidate his place with some heavy duty scoring. And he is doing that exactly.
It did help that Bangladesh got their bowling combination awfully wrong.
On a pitch, where someone with express pace and variation was needed, the visitors fielded two specialist spinners in left-arm orthodox Taijul Islam (0/120 in 28 overs) and off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraj (1/115 in 27 overs).
The spin duo was like lambs for slaughter as Agarwal went after them with all his might.
All the eight sixes that he hit came off the two spinners. This apart, he also hit 28 boundaries during his career-best international score.
The coveted double hundred came by lofting Miraj over long-on while the stand-out six was an inside out over extra cover off Taijul. Then there was one down the ground and a couple over long-off.
The spinners were either bowling too short or too full outside the off-stump. At one stage, Miraj, a former Bangladesh U-19 captain, completely lost confidence as he started coming round the wicket.
The negative field placement for an off-spinner -- a deep point for saving a cut shot and deep square leg for saving a pull-shot -- was a reflection of Bangladesh's approach.
Abu Jayed (4/108 in 25 overs) was the only bowler, who showed some heart getting the wickets of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane but his new ball Ebadot Hossain (1/115 in 31 overs) neither had pace nor the variation to trouble the Indian batsmen.
They attacked him at will and defended when they found it necessary.
The lack of pace also became a factor and the pitch on which Indian pacers looked menacing, Bangladesh's medium pacers merely went through the motions.
Each boundary left their shoulders dropping further and by the time Agarwal was out trying to hit his ninth six, the visitors had resigned to the fate that the remainder of this Test match will now be a mere formality.
Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav remained unbeaten on 60 and 25 respectively.
India lead by 343 runs.
Brief Score:
Bangladesh 1st innings: 150 all out in 58.3 overs.
India 1st innings: 493 for 6 declared in 114 overs (Mayank Agarwal 243, Ajinkya Rahane 86, Cheteshwar Pujara 54; Abu Jayed 4/108).
First, the Ishant Sharma-led Indian pace unit terrorised the visitors, bundling them out for 106 in just under 31 overs even before twilight set in.
With two of their batsmen concussed, the mentally-scarred Bangladesh attack then found itself at the receiving end of a masterclass from the Indian captain Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 59 off 93 balls, as India reached 174 for three at stumps on the opening day.
The stodgy Cheteshwar Pujara, with two pink ball hundreds under his belt in first-class cricket, scored a chiselled 55 as India took a 68-run lead. It looks like the cricket-loving Kolkata public will not have an opportunity to witness even three full days' action.
The city turned pink, the crowd responded to the brainchild of its favourite son Sourav Ganguly, who arranged a first-of-its-kind match in less than a month's time.
However, the gulf in standards along with the singular lack of intent from the visitors took some sheen away from the game.
Earlier, Ishant grabbed his first five-wicket haul on Indian soil after a good 12 years, finishing with 5 for 22 in 12 overs after a brave decision by opposition captain Mominul Haque to bat first on a seamer-friendly pitch.
Umesh Yadav hurried the Bangladeshi batsmen for pace with 3 for 29 in 7 overs while Mohammed Shami was deadly bowling the cutters wide off the crease with figures of 2 for 36 in 10.3 overs.
He also bowled two sharp bouncers, leaving Liton Das (24) and Nayeem Hasan (19) concussed.
Bangladesh lasted just 30.3 overs in their first innings with specialist spinners Ravindra Jadeja bowling a solitary over and Ravichandran Ashwin wasn't even required to roll his arms over.
Clearly the menacing Indian pace attack exposed Bangladeshi's lack of technical finesse as the 'Pink Ball Test' was agreed upon three days before their tour departure on the initiative of newly-elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
Bangladesh batsmen looked unsettled by the capacity crowd, something they have never encountered even in their home Tests and the world-class bowling made it even more difficult.
Such was their plight that for the first time in the subcontinent, batsmen Nos 3, 4 and 5 (skipper Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun, and senior-most player Mushfiqur Rahim) were all dismissed for a duck.
Pushed into the unknown territory without any practice back home, Bangladesh opening duo of Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes survived some anxious moments in the first six overs before Ishant Sharma trapped the latter.
Umesh then triggered the collapse in his second spell with two wickets in three balls, first being skipper Mominul who was dismissed by a beautiful diving one-handed catch by Rohit Sharma.
Next was Mohammed Mithun beating him by pace as it sharply cut in with the batsmen playing on to his stumps.
Despite the catching scepticism surrounding the pink ball, Saha looked a class act behind the stump as usual as the ball was swinging a lot after moving the batsman.
His low catch of Mahmadullah, outstretched and dragged across Virat Kohli at the first slip, was the highlight of his keeping as he also completed a milestone of 100 dismissals in the longest format.
While Bangladesh captain Mominul had a point when he spoke about lack of preparation but when Kohli with barely one and a half net session hit those elegant boundaries under light, one knew why a solid basic technique made such a difference.
With a quick trigger, Kohli would cover the line and negate the seam movement hitting those languid cover drives with grace.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was not supposed to play this game, came in as a concussion substitute for Nayeem Hasan, was driven down the ground as if it was net session.
Pujara on the other hand also looked solid after quick departure from Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma, adding 94 runs for the third wicket with his captain.
Kohli on Friday became the fastest batsman to 5000 runs as captain by completing the feat in 86 innings. On Day 2 of the ongoing Pink Ball Test against Bangladesh when Kohli amassed his 41st international century as captain, he equalled Ricky Ponting’s record of most number of centuries as a captain.
The case with India now is if one batsman fails, another takes the responsibility and somehow if the score on the board isn't so convincing, it is the bowlers who come to the rescue. The dominance of India has been consistent in all the recent series and is a by-product of the team effort. Touchwood.
Team India And The Celebrations
Over the recent past, there is one more thing Team India is loved for, maybe they have matched the West Indians. Yes, you all guessed it right- the success and post-match celebrations.
[caption id="attachment_417302" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Image Source: Twitter[/caption]
Almost all the players are very expressive, and why shouldn't they be when the captain himself is setting an example. Be it Kohli, Ishant, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant or even the ‘good boy’ Pujara, they share such a bond that they don’t shy away from showcasing their moves along with the fans. Making the most of it, at times fans come up with hilarious morphed videos showing Indian team celebrations on popular Bollywood songs. A case in point is the Bala celebration below where Kohli is leading the team.
Virat @imVkohli Rocks ?? pic.twitter.com/DKi7egG3qH
— Manoj Agrawal ?? (@manoj_indore) November 19, 2019
Prior to that, a similar video went viral on social media platforms after India defeated Pakistan in an ODI match. The entire team (morphed) which included MS Dhoni is seen dancing to the tunes of Bajne De Dhadak Dhadak from Bajirao Mastani.
India team celebration after win with Pakistan #imkohli #ShoaibMalik pic.twitter.com/An2nt0WkXp
— Vaishnav More (@VaishnavMore) June 18, 2019
But there is this one original video of team celebration which actually set the internet ablaze. The video showed Team India players shaking a leg on 'Yeh Mera Dil' and 'Mere Desh Ki Dharti' after becoming first Asian country to win a Test series in Australia against the Aussies. Here’s a must watch video for all.
Team India's celebration after becoming first Asian country to win a Test Series in Australia against Australia #AUSvIND
Truly Deserved..
Work Hard Party Harder pic.twitter.com/wtS8OgFm8r— Ankit Chaudhary (@entrepreneur987) January 8, 2019
Bhubaneswar: The success of the first-ever day and night cricket test match in India played at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens had created a buzz. That India won this pink ball contest with ease has only made the fans more euphoric about test cricket, like the two shorter versions of the game, being played under floodlights.
This has also renewed the debate about commercialisation of cricket. As India skipper Virat Kohli himself admitted at the post-match press conference marketing of test cricket, supposed to be the purest form of the game, is crucial to draw spectators to the ground. The game needs them and cricket Boards around the world need money to survive and thrive.
India, in fact, has been a late entrant to the day and night test cricket club. The first-ever floodlit Test match was played between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in November 2015. Since then more such matches have been played.
Modern cricket, let us face it, is a lot about ‘tamasha’ kind of entertainment complete with floodlights, cheerleaders and firecrackers. In the shorter versions of the game that mainly pander to the appetite of the hoi polloi for entertainment, even the outfits of players have become colourful. All this is designed to heighten the fun associated with 50-50 and T-20 formats.
The same thing may now happen to test cricket notwithstanding the objections of purists. What the purists don’t realise is that the taste of the people watching the game is changing and test cricket, its longest version, is beginning to bore them. In its traditional form, it is not only extremely slow at most of the times but also fails to produce results. One must realise that a tie in a 50-50 or T20 match and a draw in a test match are two completely different things. While a test matching ending in a draw is almost always boring a tie in the short versions of the game invariably implies edge-of-the-seat excitement.
It was Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket (WSC) in the 70s that started changing the taste of the cricket lovers. Packer, who wanted exclusive broadcasting rights to Australian cricket then held by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), came up with a new format that drastically changed the nature of cricket. His ad campaign with the catchline “ Big Boys Play at Night,” was a big hit, thanks to the double entendre.
Ever since Packer’s invention has spawned many copycats. The most successful of these has been our own Indian Premier League (IPL) which has turned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into perhaps the richest cricket governing body of the world. The success of IPL, which is more entertainment than cricket, has led to the proliferation of clones in different parts of the world with most of them doing reasonably well though nowhere coming near its own commercial success.
In the process of commercialisation, the game has both lost and gained. It is drawing more people to the grounds and cricketers are coming up with some amazing innovations in batting and, occasionally, even bowling. The loss has been in the form of heavy compromise in technique. The straight bat as in ideal is now a thing of past. But the likes of Sehwag had made mincemeat of technique even before that.
So let’s not hesitate to make test cricket more entertaining and with that more lucrative for the respective boards. To quote Virat Kohli once again from his post-match conference at the Eden Gardens: “If you create an excitement only around the T20 cricket and not much around Test cricket then in the psyche of the fans there’s already a certain template that’s established.” He could not be more right.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same)
Bangladesh restricted New Zealand to 211/8 before chasing down the target with 35 balls to spare. The Kiwis got off to a good start to their defence with Bangladesh losing their first wicket in the sixth over for 25 runs.
Tanzid Hasan was the man who fell trying to put a short ball over third man off Kristian Clarke. He only ended up putting the ball straight down the throat of third man.
David Hancock dismissed Tanzid's opening partner Parvez Hossain Emon three overs later but Joy then played the role of anchor as the Bangladesh middle order took the game away from New Zealand.
Joy first shared a 68-run stand with Towhid Hridoy for the third wicket before a 101-run stand for the fourth wicket with Shahadat Hossain that all but finished the game.
He looked to finish the game quickly after reaching 100 but ended up hitting it straight back to the bowler. Joy had scored 100 off 127 balls with 13 fours in his innings. Captain Akbar Ali then hit the winning runs with a four down the ground.
Brief scores: New Zealand 211/8 in 50 overs (Beckham Wheeler-Greenall 75, Nicholas Lidstone 44; Shoriful Islam 3/45) vs Bangladesh 215/4 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 100, Towhid Hridoy 40; David Hancock 1/31)
(IANS)
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was the standout performer for India, scoring 88 off 121 balls. He has scored at least a half century in all but one match in this tournament, and ends it as top scorer with a whopping 400 runs.
However, his team mates fell in a pack to Bangladesh who came out all guns blazing.
India were put to bat first after Bangladesh won the toss and openers Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena were greeted with a barrage of deliveries angled at the body and cramping them for space. Saxena was, especially, targeted by Tanzim Hasan Sakib with the ball and verbally. It took India 14 balls to finally get their first run.
The constant pressure from Sakib and Shoriful Islam eventually did the trick when Saxena flashed at a delivery outside off stump and drove it straight to backward point. Avishek Das was the man who got the wicket and it was his first over of the match.
After this came the most stable period of the Indian innings as Jaiswal and Tilak Varma stood their ground to the Bangladesh attack. Runs began to flow and Jaiswal scored his fifth 50 of the tournament. The pair also took India past the 100-run mark and their partnership was worth 94 runs.
It was Sakib who eventually got the breakthrough for Bangladesh with a short delivery that Varma looked to cut. The ball flew into the hands of the fielder at deep backward point.
Jaiswal then found able company in wicketkeeper Dhruv Jorel but ended up falling to Shoriful Islam eight overs later. He cramped Jaiswal for room and his attempted shot flew to short midwicket where Tanzid Hasan was standing.
India went on to lose their next six wickets for 21 runs in the next nine overs. Islam dismissed Siddesh Veer off the very next ball of the over after which Jorel and Ravi Bishnoi were both run out due to mix-ups between the wicket. Atharva Ankolekar and Kartik Tyagi were dismissed by Avishek while Sushant Mishra fell to Sakib.
Brief scores: India U19 177 in 47.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 88, Tilak Varma 38; Avishek Das 3/28) vs Bangladesh U19.
(IANS)
Some Bangladeshi players got carried away while celebrating their historic three-wicket win over India in the final here on Sunday. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the "unfortunate incident", his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg said their reaction was "dirty”.
"We don't know what actually happened," Patel told 'ESPNCricinfo' on Sunday.
"Everybody was in a shock, absolutely, but we don't know what happened exactly. The ICC officials are going to watch the footage of the last few minutes and they are going to let us know," he said.
Even when the match was on, the Bangladesh players were overly aggressive while fielding and their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledged the Indian batsmen after every delivery.
As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and displaying aggressive body language. The two teams nearly came to blows before the situation was defused by the coaching staff and on-field officials.
Patel claimed that match referee Graeme Labrooy met him and expressed regret at what transpired on the field.
"The referee came to me. He was sorry about the incident. He clarified the ICC is going to take very seriously what has happened during the match and the last session. They are going to witness the footage and they will tell us in the morning (Monday)."
(PTI)
Invited to bat, India posted a competitive 142 for 6 and then returned to restrict Bangladesh to 124 for 8 to notch up their second successive win in the showpiece event.
Chasing 143 to win, Murshida Khatun compiled a 26-ball 30 after her opening partner Shamima Sultana was sent packing in the second over by Shikha Pandey.
Once Khatun was removed by Arundhati Reddy, Nigar Sultana (35) tried to keep them in the hunt but Bangladesh struggled against the quality spin bowling of Poonam Yadav, who claimed three wickets to derail Bangladesh's chase.
Arundhati Reddy (2/33) and Pandey (2/14) took two wickets each, while Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1/25) accounted for one wicket.
Earlier 16-year-old opener Shafali Verma gave India a rollicking start, smashing a 17-ball 39 which contained two fours and four sixes.
Jemimah Rodrigues also scored a crucial 37-ball 34 but rest of the batsmen failed to fire as India's runrate took a hit.
Down the order, Veda Krishnamurthy then blasted 20 off 11 balls studded with four boundaries to lift them to a fighting total.
For Bangladesh, skipper Salma Khatun (2/25) and Panna Ghosh (2/25) claimed two wickets each.
Brief Score:
India women: 142 for six in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 39; Salman Khatun 2/25, Panna Ghosh 2/25). PTI
Bangladesh women: 124 for 8 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 35; Poonam Yadav 3/18).
(PTI)