India taken to the brink

The tournament favourites India survived a major scare to beat Bangladesh by five runs on a night of tension and weather-watching at the Adelaide Oval. A defeat would have left India needing a favour from Pakistan if they were to reach the semi-finals, and that looked likely when rain stopped play during Bangladesh’s run-chase. At that stage Bangladesh were well ahead on DLS thanks to an extraordinary innings from Litton Das, but when play resumed India held their nerve – and their catches – to sneak to victory.

India looked set for a comfortable win when they posted 184 for six after being put in by Shakib Al Hasan. KL Rahul returned to form with a spectacular 32-ball 50, including four sixes, and Virat Kohli extended his purple patch with an unbeaten 64. Kohli now averages 220 in the tournament. Every Indian fans was scared when the rain stopped the play because we were behind Bangladesh by 17 runs. The rain broke the momentum of the Bangladeshi players, and they lost wickets one by one. I literally was on the edge of my seat, as this game was also very special.

Bangladesh suffer heartbreak again

That Litton Das run out. How many people will be talking about it tomorrow? In Dhaka, in Chattogram, in Sylhet. India had made a commanding total of 184 for 6, thanks mainly to a superlative return to the runs for KL Rahul (50 off 32), and another chapter in Virat Kohli’s spectacular form, as he made 66 no out off 44. Suryakumar Yadav’s 30 off 16 helped too.

But when Litton blasted seven fours and three sixes inside the first seven overs, Bangladesh had an excellent foundation. They were 66 for no loss when rains interrupted and curtailed the match. At that time, Najmul Hossain Shanto (Litton’s opening partner), was seven off 16.

They should have been confident of scoring the 85 needed off the last nine overs (54 balls) upon resumption, particularly as the field was likely to be greasy following the downpour. But when Shanto called for a tight second, two balls into resumption, Litton’s spikes failed to adequately grip the damp surface he was running on, and he was out by a about a metre to an outstanding KL Rahul direct hit, from just beyond midwicket.

Bangladesh lost their way after that, even if they rallied slightly towards the end to keep the last over interesting. They lost six wickets for 40 runs, in 33 deliveries. Nurul Hasan did his best to perform a miracle, but his 25 off 14 was not enough. Arshdeep Singh delivered excellent yorkers at the death, and India secured a hard-fought five-run victory, to take them to the top of Group 2.

The turning point?

This was surely the turning point of the game as Liton Das was playing like a beast. If he would have stayed at the crease for a longer time then we might lose this game. This moment is very emotional for a Bangladeshi fan as there hopes were only on Liton Das because of the way he battered in this match for his team. I believe that India would now qualify for the Semi-finals, but we can’t take Zimbabwe lightly as they had beaten Pakistan.

Arshdeep Singh held his nerve on the final ball as Bangladesh needed 7 runs to win, to help India register a narrow 5-run win. Chasing 185, Bangladesh had gotten off to a flyer, but with target revised to 151 in 16 overs as per the DLS method after rain played spoilsport, Bangladesh lost the plot and they lost wickets in quick succession, losing the match by 5 runs. Earlier,Virat Kohli scored 64 off 44 balls as India posted a total 184 for 6 of vs Bangladesh in the ongoing Group 2 match between the sides in Adelaide.

KL Rahul (32-ball 50) and Suryakumar Yadav (16-ball 30) also played crucial knocks. Earlier in the game, Virat Kohli surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to become the leading run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. Kohli continued his strong form at the tournament by scoring 64 not out off 44 balls to help India to 184-6 off its 20 overs. Lokesh Rahul also weighed in with a 32-ball 50. A brilliant cameo was played by Sky- Surya Kumar Yadav.

Before the rain break, Das was putting India’s pace attack to the sword. He hit three sixes and seven fours, reaching his half-century off 21 balls. It was the second quickest half-century of the tournament. He put on 50 runs off 32 balls, with Najmul Shanto only contributing three runs to the initial partnership. Overall, they put on 68 runs off 44 balls either side of the weather interruption.

Shakib Al Hasan’s verdict

It’s the same story when we play against India – we are almost there but can’t get over the line. It was a very good game of cricket. Litton Das is probably our best batsman at the moment. The way he played in the first six overs gave us belief that we could win the game.

Shakib AL Hasan

Pretty close game. Not as close as we would have liked it to be (sic). Another good day with the bat I guess. I’m just in a happy place. I don’t want to compare anything – the past is the past. I just want to contribute for the team.As soon as I knew the World Cup was in Australia I was grinning from ear to ear. I’ve played a lot here and I knew good cricketing shots would be the key. I’ve always backed myself to hit through the line.

I absolutely love playing in Adelaide. I don’t know what it is. Even the nets at back – as soon as I enter the stadium I feel at home. This ground and this wicket has been very kind to me. These were Virat Kohli’s words after being selected as the Player of the Match. He has proved himself in tougher situations and held his nerve whenever the team needed him.