World Cup 2015 QF 2 India vs Bangladesh Review; India enters semis with an impressive performance

World Cup 2015 QF 2 India vs Bangladesh Review; India enters semis with an impressive performance:India and Bangladesh had clashed 2 times before this in World Cup with Bangladesh beating and knocking out India in 2007 and India destroying Bangladesh in the first match of 2011 World Cup. This match was supposed to be the tie-breaker. Read on to find out how the match went.

India won the toss and decided to bat first on the Melbourne track which is known to assist bowlers under the lights. Both teams went in unchanged and the excitement could be touched with more than 40,000 Indian and Bangladeshi fans shouting their throats out.

Bangladesh managed to bind India, restricting the run flow and India could make just 75 runs in 16 overs when they lost Shikhar Dhawan to a smart stumping by Mushfiqur off Shakib for 30 runs. Rubel Hossain dismissed Virat Kohli for 3 caught behind and Bangladesh were suddenly on the top in this crucial match. Ajinkya Rahane followed suit trying to up the tempo, giving a catch to Shakib off Taskin for 19 runs. India were 115/3 when Suresh Raina walked in to join Rohit Sharma.

Both of them slowly but surely started making runs via singles, doubles and boundaries, increasing Inida’s run rate. Suresh Raina in special played the role which Yuvraj Singh played in the 2011 World Cup. He and Rohit Sharma added 122 runs before Raina got out for 65 runs. Rohit Sharma who had been anchoring the innings so far with maturity and sincerity, now started to open up realising that not much overs and batting is left. Dhoni also got out early scoring 6 runs and Rohit was dismissed by peach of yorker by Taskin Ahmed for a brilliant 137 off 126 balls including 14 fours and 3 sixes.

Ravindra Jadeja gave the nitro boost to India’s innings in the final 2 overs making 23 off 10 balls with 4 fours. India who at one time was looking to barely cross 200 ended up making an impressive 302/6. Bangladeshi bowlers were impressive in the beginning keeping India 115/3 in 27 overs. Taskin Ahmed took 3/69 runs and got good support from Shakib and Rubel who picked up a wicket each.

Bangladesh came out to chase 302 on a ground where the highest chased total is 295. Indian bowlers kept the pressure on from ball one and Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes struggled to score runs against Shami and Yadav, though Tamim took hit 3 fours in an over, but Yadav had the last laugh got him out for 25, Imrul Kayes followed him after being sold a dummy by Soumya Sarkar who hit the ball in Jadeja’s direction, took 2-3 steps and returned back without even looking at his partner, with Jadeja throwing the ball to Yadav who demlished the stumps, running Kayes out.

Sarkar and Mahmudullah, hero of Bangladesh’s QF qualification tried to score runs and up the tempo and added 50 runs before Mahmuldullah was brilliantly caught by Shikhar Dhawan at the square leg boundary. Dhoni took one of the best World Cup catches to remove Sarkar off Shami, taking the catch diving to his left and taking it one-handed.

Bangladesh deteriorated further losing Shakib for 10 off 33 balls and Mushfiqur for 27 off 43. Mohd. Shami overtook Mitchell Starc to become the highest wicket taker in the ongoing tournament. Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain (35) tried to lessen he deficit by making 41 runs together.

But it was not enough; Bangladesh was dismissed for 193 runs, becoming the 7th team to be bowled out by India in 7 matches they have played in this World Cup. Umesh Yadav picked up 4/31, Mohd. Shami and Ravindra Jadeja both picked 2 wickets each.

MS Dhoni won his 100th ODI overall, his 11th straight win in World Cups and 7th straight win in this World Cup. India has been the most impressive team in this World Cup and they will be ready to take on any team that they meet in the Semi-finals.

Rohit Sharma was given the Man of the match for his 137.

India will now face the winner of QF 3 between Australia and Pakistan.

Brief Scores:
India 302/6 (R Sharma 137, S Raina 65; T Ahmed 3/69) defeated Bangladesh 193 45 overs (N Hossain 35, S Rahman 30; U Yadav 4/32) by 109 runs.

Records and Trivia:

# Ravindra Jadeja (23* off 10) batting-strike-rate 230.00 is the highest by an Indian in a WC match (min 10 balls faced).

# The 122 runs stand btween Raina and Sharma is the 340th century partnerships in ODIs in Australia, the most in a particular country.

# Rohit Sharma has become the first ever overseas opener to score two ODI centuries at the MCG.

# This is Bangladesh’s 300th ODI match – now all 10 ICC full-members have played 300 or more ODIs.

# Rohit Sharma is the second Indian batsman to hit a century in World Cup knockout game after Sourav Ganguly’s 111* vs Kenya in the 2003 World Cup semifinal.

# This was Dhoni’s 100th ODI win, 11th straight win in WCs and 7th straight win in 2015 World Cup.

#  India have bowled out all the 7 teams they have faced in this tournament so far, 70 wickets in 7 matches.

# 7 WC centuries have been scored at MCG, the most 100s at a single ground in WC history. Prev: 6 at National Stadium Karachi.