India stay alive with thrilling defeat of Bangladesh
World Twenty20 hosts India salvaged a crucial, nerve-shredding one-run victory over Bangladesh in Bangalore to keep their tournament hopes alive.
India’s batting innings never picked up momentum at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh Raina top scoring with 30 in 146-7 as Bangladesh’s bowlers managed 45 dot balls.
Any suggestions that the pitch was impossible to bat on were quickly dispelled as Tamim Iqbal (35) and Sabbir Rahman (26) got Bangladesh well ahead of the rate.
Even in the final over, Bangladesh needed just two runs from the final three balls, but brainless batting and razor-sharp fielding from MS Dhoni to effect a final-ball run-out swung the game one final, decisive time as India maintained their 100 per cent T20 record over the Tigers.
India, who faced almost-certain elimination with a defeat, will now hope that Australia beat Pakistan to set up a meeting between Dhoni and Steve Smith’s sides that will see the victor join New Zealand in the semi-finals.
The scenes in the crowd from that last ball.. Incredible reaction! #IND #BAN #WT20 pic.twitter.com/hE5Ywh0CLF
— ICC (@ICC) March 23, 2016
The hosts’ floundering batting display saw them on 59-2 at the midway stage, prompting Raina to request a meatier bat and launch Al-Amin Hossain for consecutive sixes.
Hardik Pandya had the crowd back on their feet after Virat Kohli (24) was bowled by Shuvagata Hom, hitting the same bowler 97 metres over deep square leg but Al-Amin slammed the brakes on.
Raina and Pandya fell in successive balls, the latter to a stunning Soumya Sarkar catch, with Yuvraj Singh unable to pick up the mantle, leaving Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to claw India to a defendable total.
India’s woes were summed up immediately as Tamim got the chase under way with a four that Jasprit Bumrah fumbled over the boundary.
Bumrah was again in the action as he dropped Tamim on 15 off Ravichandran Ashwin, who was then smashed for six by Sabbir.
It got worse for Bumrah as he came on and was hit for four boundaries by Tamim, but the lethal left-hander was stumped in the eighth over after a Jadeja ball kept low, with Dhoni’s reactions also accounting for Sabbir, who was stumped as he twisted and jumped in his attempts to chase a Raina wide.
When the dangerous Shakib Al Hasan (22) edged Ashwin to slip, leaving Bangladesh on 95-5, momentum seemed to be with India again, but Soumya (21) and Mahmudullah stuck around to reduce the equation to 17 runs needed off the final two overs.
Bumrah’s death bowling proved more reliable as the penultimate over went for six, but Mushfiqur’s consecutive fours off Pandya put victory in Bangladesh’s grasp – only for him to hoist straight to midwicket and Mahmudullah to follow suit the next ball, piling pressure on Shuvagata, who missed his attempted shot, allowing Dhoni to charge in and run Mustafizur Rahman out.
