Only one run was needed. Kohli on 97. He comes down the track, and boom… India crushed Bangladesh to stretch their winning start to four games in the World Cup. The game followed the familiar script of India dominating in all three sectors. Despite the early worries, India gradually asserted their authority over the game with some brilliant individual performances. The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune was the venue for this much-anticipated clash between two teams with contrasting World Cup aspirations. 

Team Lineups

India played with an unchanged XI from their resounding victory against arch-rivals Pakistan. Bangladesh made two changes from their defeat against New Zealand. Superstar Shakib Al Hasan decided to sit out this game to avoid the risk of aggravating his injury. Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed took his place in the team. Misfiring Taskin Ahmed was replaced by pacer Hasan Mahmud. 

India

1. Rohit Sharma (Cap.) 2. Shubman Gill 3. Virat Kohli 4. Shreyas Iyer 5. KL Rahul (WK) 6. Hardik Pandya 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Shardul Thakur 9. Jasprit Bumrah 10. Kuldeep Yadav 11. Mohammad Siraj

Bangladesh

1. Tanzid Hasan 2. Liton Das 3. Najmul Hossain Shanto (Cap.) 4. Mehidy Hasan 5. Towhid Hridoy 6. Mushfiqur Rahim (WK) 7. Mahmudullah 8. Nasum Ahmed 9. Mustafizur Rahman 10. Shoriful Islam 11. Hasan Mahmud

Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the coin toss and elected to bat first on a surface that looked ideal for batting. 

Captaincy & Tactics

Jasprit Bumrah swung the ball early on to give the Bangladeshi openers a lot of trouble early on. He almost induced an edge off the bat on three occasions. But they survived and started hitting the ball through the line. 

The promising left-hander Tanzid Hasan showed a maturity that belied his age by coming down the track to neutralize the swing of the cricket ball. Their approach forced Rohit Sharma to go defensive and turn to his spinners for inspiration. 

Sharma’s cricketing brain was in overdrive to fill up the quota of 57 balls left from Hardik’s spell. The Indian captain used Thakur well to fill up the gaps here and there, not allowing the batsmen to score runs at a good rate. He also preserved Bumrah’s spell who came back late to deliver once again during the death overs. The spinners were a class act – Jadeja with his discipline, Kuldeep produced a wide array of deliveries. 

The absence of Shakib Al Hasan had a profound detrimental effect on the Bangladeshi bowling. The new ball bowlers looked harmless, they were being whacked in all four corners of the ground as Rohit Sharma turned on the heat. 

Shanto’s attempt to stem the flow of runs by deploying spin failed against a side who are arguably the best players against spin. It was never a contest and the gulf in class between the sides was evident from the first ball. 

Batting Analysis

Liton Das has been misfiring for Bangladesh over the last 12 months. The elegant strokemaker has been guilty of getting out cheaply despite getting good starts on numerous occasions. He relishes the challenges of playing in India with a strike rate of 92.81. He was back at his sublime best and played an innings touched by grace and aggression. He found the perfect partner in the young Tanzid Hasan who reminded another certain batter named Tamim with his intrepid approach. The pair played 63% of their shots on the back foot, not the easiest task in the world with Jasprit Bumrah bowling from the other end. 

Much maligned Mahmudullah was a late inclusion to the Bangladesh World Cup squad and the Bangladeshi fans should be thankful for the decision. The veteran stood tall once again during the final part of the innings and produced a gem of 46 to steer Bangladesh to a defendable score. Mahmudullah played just 35% aggressive shots in his innings because he was running out of partners. 

When you have Rohit Sharma in the team, it is almost impossible to start the innings on the backfoot. Rohit was relentless, he started thrashing the ball to all corners of the ground. He played with a control of 86% throughout his innings. Shubman Gill showed why he is considered to be the heir to the Indian batting throne with another innings of joy and exuberance. The Punjabi superstar was on hand to punish everything that was a tad short and scored 56% of his runs on the off side. 

Virat Kohli averages 75.82 against Bangladesh, so the embodiment of modern greatness fell soon to his old patterns. The cover drivers were exquisite, the pulls were delightful, and the cuts were razor-sharp. Despite the valiant effort by Nasum to prevent the century, Virat completed his 48 ODI ton in a dramatic fashion by hitting a six over mid-wicket. He holds the second spot in the list of most runs in this tournament with 259, Rohit Sharma tops the chart with 265 runs. 

Bowling Analysis

In a match that provided little in terms of the contest, the injury to Hardik Pandya was a massive blow to the team’s balance. Pandya was just bowling his third delivery when he tried to stop a straight drive and twisted his ankle badly in the process. The whole nation will wait in agony for the test results. 

Jasprit Bumrah bowled 76% good length during the early exchanges of the Bangladeshi innings. He was unlucky not to get a wicket straightaway. Mohammad Siraj was wayward with his line and got punished by the openers. But once the spinners came into the fore, they stifled the innings. 

Ravindra Jadeja was accurate with his line – the regular wicket-to-wicket stuff from the left-arm spinner. He bowled 65% of his deliveries on the stump line, allowing little room for maneuver. Jadeja has picked up 18 wickets in his World Cup career at an average of 31.83.

Kuldeep Yadav bowled at a much quicker pace and his 10 wrong ‘un deliveries bamboozled the batsmen. Shardul was expensive with 59 runs from his 9 overs, but he picked up the wicket of struggling Towhid Hridoy. 

Most world-class bowlers in the game looked ordinary before Sharma and Kohli, so the Bangladeshi bowlers never stood a chance. Mehidy Hasan was the pick of the bowlers for picking up 2 wickets for 47 runs. All of the other bowlers except Mustafizur went for over six runs an over. Hasan Mahmud received a severe drubbing and leaked 65 from his 8 overs. 

Virat Kohli maintained a 90% overall control throughout his innings despite playing regular aggressive shots. He gladly received the gift from Hasan Mahmud to get himself set. A sequence of 4 and 6 from consecutive no-balls got the rhythm going for Kohli who ended up remaining unbeaten at 103. Even the distasteful ploy of Nasum to bowl down the leg side could not prevent the inevitable ton.

Fielding Analysis

India’s fielding coach T Dilip declared KL Rahul the best fielder against Pakistan. The wicketkeeper staked his claim once again with a stunning diving catch to his left to dismiss Mehidy Hasan. Kuldeep Yadav has been a surprising package in the tournament. 

The wrist spinner is proving to be impossible to deal with his variation and quicker deliveries. But the biggest improvement is his ground fielding. He dived on numerous occasions to put his body on the line and save boundaries. 

But it is the great Ravindra Jadeja who would take the acclaim of the best fielder. The supreme athlete is quick on his feet, has a bullet arm, and can stop anything going past him. Jadeja had just 0.58 seconds to react in time to take a catch at point. 

Jadeja leaped like a salmon in the air and produced a breathtaking moment of pure artistry. There were a couple of half chances missed by the bowlers to dismiss the batsmen off their bowling, but it did not cost much eventually. 

Bangladeshi fielders spent most of their time retrieving the ball from the boundary line. Mehidy Hasan missed a sharp chance at the point to dismiss Rohit Sharma early in the innings. Eventually, both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were caught at deep to get out against the run of play. Mahmudullah grabbed his second catch of the game when he held on to a miscued shot from Shreyas Iyer. 

Key Performances

Jasprit Bumrah was impressive once again by picking up two wickets and delivering perfect deliveries during the death overs. Ravindra Jadeja bowled on a tight line to claim a couple of scalps. The livewire cricketer from Gujarat showcased his outstanding fielding skills by taking a diving catch and outstanding ground fielding.

Youngster Tanzid Hasan and bombastic Liton Das shone up the order for Bangladesh, both posting quickfire fifties. Veteran Mahmudullah showed plenty of intent with willow in hand, his innings of 46 took Bangladesh past 250. 

Rohit Sharma took the sting out of the game with flamboyant pulls and fierce cuts. Shubman Gill was timing the ball perfectly to send it repeatedly to the boundaries. Both got caught on the boundary line after getting past half-centuries. The chase master Virat Kohli scored yet another century in the second innings to guide India home to their fourth successive victory. 

Turning Point

Bangladesh was playing well with 137 runs on the board from 27 overs. But the slow-paced innings of Towhid Hridoy put the stroke-making Liton Das under a lot of pressure as the runs started drying up for the batting side. After batting with freedom for a long period, Das felt the urge to break the shackles. 

Ravindra tossed one up, giving the ball some air to lure the batsman. The Bangladeshi opener obliged by coming down the track. Liton tried to clear the long-off fielder with a big swing of the bat. But Shubman Gill was fielding on the boundary and pouched the ball safely to give India an important breakthrough. Bangladesh’s innings never got going from that point and ended up 30 runs short of the par score. 

Match Result

India demolished their Bangladeshi neighbors by 7 wickets with 51 balls. left. 

Player of the Match

Virat Kohli was the best performer of the match as the king of chases scored an exquisite ton to secure his 48th ODI century. 

Brief Scorecard

Match Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p49Mx8VDX5A

Match Wrap-Up

In the end, it was another drubbing for Bangladesh again despite the hype created by the Bangladeshis. The bowlers worked in tandem to restrict the Tigers to a manageable total. The win seemed to be signed and sealed from the first ball of the second innings with Rohit Sharma muscling his way through the Bangladeshi attack. Virat Kohli conjured up some magical shots to post another memorable ton. Team India will look to raise their winning count to five when they meet New Zealand in the next game with the concerns about Hardik Pandya’s recovery remaining as a massive question mark. 

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