Resurgent India notch up a consolation win- Bangladesh v India 3 ODI: Match report

Resurgent India notch up a consolation win- Bangladesh v India 3 ODI: Match report: It was another ODI match, and yet another record created by the dynamic, beguiling Mustafizur Rahman. He racked up two key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina and became the highest wicket taker ever in a 3 match series. But unfortunately for him, Bangladesh ended up on the losing side for the first time in the series as they were vanquished by a resurgent Indian team by 77 runs.

Though Bangladesh clinched the series 2-1 the consolation win served as a soothing balm for many Indian fans. Batting first on an unusually slow surface, Rohit Sharma yet again disappointed falling for a paltry 29 again getting outflanked by Mustafizur Rahman. The onus was on Virat Kohli to deliver but he couldn’t live up to the expectations and perished to a clever one by Shakib Al Hasan.

MS Dhoni, who faced harsh criticism from the media for his team’s dismal show, promoted himself to the no.4 spot again in a move to steady the tottering boat. Dhawan carried his good form from the last game, striking graceful looking shots and scoring at an appreciable pace. His knack of not being able to convert his starts into a big one continued as he fell to the Bangladeshi skipper on 75. Dhoni and Rayudu continued playing it safe, but occasionally breaking the shackles to ensure that the run rate didn’t stoop too low.

Rayudu scored a well made 44 runs but missed his half ton by an agonizing 6 runs, which he deserved, as he was given out on arguably LBW. Suresh Raina and Stuart Binny staged a late onslaught that propelled the team score over 300. In the end, the Bangladeshi’s were asked to chase their 2nd ever highest chase with 318 runs.

Running up for 318 runs on a slow, dry wicket was never going to be easy, and Bangladesh never looked good enough to cross over. They were rocked early on by Dhawal Kulkarni as he removed the dangerous Tamim Iqbal for 5 runs. Soumya Sarkar showed promising signs and his gleam as a skillful player, bludgeoning boundaries all over the park. It was really a thing of discomposure for the fans at the stadium as he fell for 40.

Wickets started to fall like nine pins, with the Bangladeshi batsmen having no answers to the lethal Indian spin attack. Sabbir Rahman showed what he’s capable of, with the bat and played wonderfully before falling for a 40. But he too fell soon not able to build on his start. Shakib’s presence on the 22 yards with a bat offered a glimmer of hope for the fans, but he perished too soon sending the crowd into stunned silence. It pretty much signalled the end of Bangladeshi innings. In the end the home team were comprehensively beaten by an inspired Indian side which outmanoeuvred them in all departments of the game. Bangladesh though lift the series trophy and Mustafizur Rahman will soon become a household name in Bangladesh.

Brief Score:

India- 317 for 6 in 50 overs, (Dhawan-75 runs off 73 balls, Mortaza-3 for 76)
Bangladesh- 240 all out in 47 overs, (Sabbir-43 runs off 44 balls, Raina 3 for 45) lose by 77 runs.