T20 World Cup 2022, Match 35: India vs Bangladesh- Talking points and Who Said What?

It was a must-win game for India, as a positive result would have ensured the Men in Blue a place in the semi-final. The competition at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 has been very intense in both groups, and every team has been giving their best efforts to make it to the next stage and get closer to clinching the trophy.

Batting first, India posted a target of 185 runs, thanks to half-centuries by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, and a little cameo by Ravichandran Ashwin. Rain played a spoilsport in the second innings and the game was reduced to 16 overs a side, but Litton Das had powered Bangladesh to a terrific start before rain halted the play.

Before listening to skippers of both sides, we list some of the talking points from the game

The game of gaining and losing form

KL Rahul, who was criticized for giving away his wicket cheaply in the previous games of the tournament, notched up a brilliant half-century after India lost an early wicket in the form of Rohit Sharma. It looked like he gained his mojo back, which helped India gain the required momentum. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya, who had been in great touch against Pakistan, has not been able to perform with the bat ever since, and against Bangladesh too, he gave away his wicket cheaply.

Virat Kohli and Adelaide- The Love Affair

Virat Kohli’s love affair with the Adelaide Oval continued as the former India skipper notched up an unbeaten half-century score against Bangladesh, which helped India post 184 runs on the board. The ground has been very special for Kohli, as he has smashed three Test hundreds at the venue, including his maiden Test ton, and he even came very close to getting a T20I century at this venue. His good form at the venue continued as he scored 64* runs off the 44 deliveries that he faced, including eight fours and a six.

Litton Das- The man on a mission

The Bangladeshi opening batter Litton Das looked very clear with his aim when he walked out to bat against India. While the Men in Blue thought they had a defendable total, Das crushed their dreams and punished the bowlers to make optimum utilization of the powerplay. Before the game was stopped due to rains, after the seventh over, Das had scored 59 runs off just 26 deliveries, and Bangladesh enjoyed being in a comfortable position with 66/0 on the scorecard.

Runs, Pressure, Wickets- How the drama unfolded

Bangladesh opener Litton Das piled up runs like crazy, in the powerplay. The rain delay helped India rework their strategy, as the bowlers kept striking at regular intervals after going wicketless in the first seven overs before the rain delayed the game. After KL Rahul ran out Das, Mohammed Shami picked up his first in the form of Najmul Hossain Shanto. It was Arshdeep Singh next, who picked up two quick wickets while bowling the 12^th over and dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain.

India’s hunger to take wickets increased thereafter, and it was Hardik Pandya who stood up to the chance. You can just not keep him out of the game. Though he failed with the bat, he picked up the crucial wickets of middle-order batters Yasir Ali and Mosaddek Hossain to add to India’s celebrations. As a result, Bangladesh lost four big wickets in the space of 10 deliveries. Bangladesh did put up a fight till the final over, and the game came down to the final delivery, but Arshdeep Singh managed to defend the total as India bagged a magnificent win.

Losing captain, Shakib Al Hasan said:

It's been the story when we play against India. We are always there but we never get over the line. It was a great game of cricket. Everyone enjoyed it. Someone had to lose. He's probably our best batter going around. The way we batted in the first six overs, it gave us the momentum and belief that we can win this game. If you look at India's top four, they are really dangerous. We wanted to get them out early and that's why we stuck with Taskin. He didn't pick up wickets but I think he was unlucky with that. He was economical and did really well. We've been very relaxed in the dressing room. We wanted to enjoy the World Cup. We have been enjoying our cricket and there's one more game to go after this, so we'll look to do just that.

Winning captain, Rohit Sharma said:

I was calm and nervous at the same time. It was important for the group to tp stay calm and execute the plans. I thought we held our nerves pretty well after the resumption. It was a good win in the end. (Arshdeep Singh) When he came into the scene, we asked him to do that job for us. With Bumrah not there, someone had to step up to take that role. For someone to come in and do that is not easy. (Final over) There was a choice between Shami and him but I had to back someone who is doing the job for us regularly. (Virat Kohli back to his best?) In my opinion, he was always there. It was only a matter of a few innings, which he got in the Asia Cup and he hasn't looked back since. We never had any kind of doubts about him. He's a player who has so much experience in so many major tournaments. We know what he brings to the group. Also impressed with how KL batted as well. If the bats the way he does, it puts the team in a great situation. (Fielding today) Our fielding was brilliant. Some of the catches we took under pressure were great to see. It shows the character of the guys as well. I had no doubts about our fielding, you can have those off days but we were really good today.

Player of the Match, Virat Kohli said:

Pretty close game. Not as close as we would have liked it to be. Another good day with the bat. I was just trying to play myself into the innings. I was watching the ball well and I did not want to let a few mistakes curb my instincts. I am just in a happy place. Don't want to compare anything. What is in the past is in the past. Don't want to compare. As soon as I knew the World Cup is in Australia, I was grinning from ear to ear. I knew good cricketing shots would be key. I have always done that and it is just an extension and I knew my experience would come in handy in Australia. (About his record at Adelaide) Love playing at this ground. Even right from the nets at the back. Just makes me feel at home. That knock at MCG was meant to be. At Adelaide, I feel I am meant to bat this way.