India vs Bangladesh: Shubman Gill's Ton Goes in Vain as ...

With the required run rate not being insurmountable, India required a partnership more than anything, which they got from Shubman Gill and KL Rahul – be it at a slow pace. The latter scored 19 runs from 39 deliveries, but as he was about to switch gears, an ill-fated flick brought his downfall.

Ishan Kishan’s audition for the number five role at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup did not go according to plans, as his audacious switch hit attempt saw him getting trapped leg before wicket by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, after scoring only five runs.

Another batter who is auditioning for a role in the Indian playing XI, albeit from a lower standing in the pecking order, Suryakumar Yadav did a comparatively better job by scoring 26 runs, but he could not convert the start to a big knock either, with Shakib running through his sweep to get him clean bowled.

The exemplary knock eventually concluded in the 44th over, with Mahedi Hasan getting Gill’s wicket when the batter was on 121. Although Axar Patel’s 42-run knock took the game to the last over, he was dismissed by Rahman in the penultimate over, effectively securing the win for the Tigers.

Earlier, Returning to the playing XI after being dropped against Sri Lanka, Shardul Thakur picked up three crucial wickets to help his team restrict Bangladesh to a total of 265/8.

With their place in the final already secured, India made changes aplenty to the playing XI. Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj were all rested, with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna getting into the team.

Veteran Bangladeshi batter Anamul Haque Bijoy, who was playing his first ODI match since December 2022, could not justify his selection, losing his wicket to a rash pull shot after scoring only four runs, with Thakur adding another scalp to his tally.

The all-rounder should have had his third wicket soon, but Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav dropped fairly easy chances to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The latter, however, could not capitalise on the two opportunities he was handed, as he was dismissed by Axar Patel in the 14th over.

In the 26th over of the match, Shakib brought up his 55th ODI half-century by dancing down the track and dispatching an Axar Patel delivery into the stands. At the second drinks break, Bangladesh’s score read 160/4.

Thakur, whose knack for breaking partnerships is well-documented, did his trick yet again by sending the opposition’s skipper back in only the first delivery after the resumption.

In the next over, Ravindra Jadeja trapped Shahim Hossain Patwary leg before wicket to put the pressure back on Bangladesh, while Towhid Hridoy’s endeavour finally ended in the 42nd over, but only after he had recorded his fifth half-century in this format.

Bangladesh’s innings, however, was far from being over, with the left-arm spinner playing the knock of his life. He scored 44 runs in 45 deliveries – his ODI career-highest – to help Bangladesh get to a total of 265 runs.

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