Asia Cup 2023, India vs Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan-Towhid Hridoy's 101-run stand, Shubman Gill's 121 and Tanzim Hasan Shakib's 2-32 are top performances. Bangladesh beat India by 6 runs.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 265/8 (Shakib 80, Hridoy 54, Shardul 3/65) beat to India 259 (Gill 121, Axar 42, Mustafizur 3/50) by 6 runs.
Player Of The Match: Shakib Al Hasan (80 off 85 & 1/43)
It was a dead rubber in Asia Cup 2023 when India took on Bangladesh in the final Super 4 stage game in Colombo. While India already booked a place in the final where they will take on Sri Lanka, Bangladesh only have pride in playing.
But one thing is assured: there won’t be any shortage of drama when these sides face off against each other in the limited-overs format. This contest, too, went to the wire as Bangladesh held their nerve to compete in a close 6-run win over India.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and inserted Bangladesh into the bat. India made many changes, with many of their first-choice players, Kohli, Hardik, Bumrah, and Siraj, getting a rest. Bangladesh also expectedly made a few changes with pacer Tanzim Hasan Shakib making his debut.
Talking Point from Bangladesh vs India, Super 4 Game
The discussion point must be Suryakumar Yadav’s yet another failure in ODI cricket. He had a start (26 off 34) and had a great opportunity to be a hero for the team by winning the match. But he failed to deliver once again, as did the debutant Tilak Varma, who disappointed coming to bat at No.3
But the one player who impressed was Axar Patel, whose batting prowess has improved a lot, and today, the all-rounder almost took India to a win that looked out of reach when Gill was dismissed. Eventually, Axar’s departure proved to be the turning point for Bangladesh, and his batting form is a major positive.
India’s choice to bowl immediately paid off as the Indian pacers Mohammad Shami and Shardul Thakur removed the Bangladeshi top-3 inside 6 overs. Mehidy Hasan struggled for 13 before Axar removed him, and what followed was a 101-run stand for the 5th wicket between skipper Shakib Al Hasan & Towhid Hridoy, bringing Bangladesh back into the contest.
Thakur removed Shakib for 80 while Jadeja became the 5th left-arm spinner in ODI history and only the 2nd Indian player to achieve the double of 2500 runs & 200 wickets in ODI after Kapil Dev. Though India chipped in with wickets, Bangladesh's lower order comprising Nasum Ahmed (44), Mahedi Hasan (29*), and Tanzim took the team to a respectable 265/8, a total which looked far at one stage.
Like India, Bangladesh pacers found early success with debutant Tanzim removing Rohit Sharma and his fellow debutant Tilak Varma in his first two overs. Rahul and Gill reconstructed the innings, but the former gave his wicket away against the run of play to Mahedi. Ishan Kishan was undone by Mehidy for 5, and Suryakumar fell after getting his eye in.
All this while, Shubman Gill was at the crease and left stranded without anyone to give him company. He single-handedly kept India in the contest with a stunning century, but the wickets at the other end meant it was an uphill task for India to get over the line. Axar Patel did try his best with a 34-ball 42, but it was too late, as the damage was already done. India eventually lost by 6 runs as Mustafizur picked 2 wickets in the penultimate over, and incidentally, it was his 150th in ODI cricket.
Read More: Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: Virat-Rahul shine; Kuldeep bowls India to biggest victory over Pak
Top performance from the India vs Bangladesh, Super 4 Game
Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy's 101-run stand gave Bangladesh some hope
Indian bowlers jolted the Bangladeshi top-order with 4 wickets in under 14 overs, and the experienced Shakib Al Hasan needed someone to travel with him for most of the innings. He found an ally in Hridoy, and both these batters negated the Indian attack. Skipper Shakib played the aggressor’s role, reaching a half-century in 65 balls and eventually adding 30 in the next 20 balls before getting dismissed. Hridoy made his 5th half-century in ODIs and ended up with 54. These contributions played a pivotal role in Bangladesh crossing the 260-run mark.
Tanzim produces a complete performance on debut
With the bat, Tanzim showed his ability at the fag end of the innings, playing a useful hand of 14 off 6 allowing Bangladesh to accumulate 265 on the board. But his real talent was displayed with the ball as the pacer made the new cherry talk. He first accounted for Rohit Sharma for a duck, followed by removing India’s no.3 for the game, Tilak Varma, for a low score.
He finished with 2/32, including defending 12 off the last over.
Shubman Gill cracks yet another century, but this time in vain
Shubman Gill has averaged over 60 in his first 30 innings and is the 2nd ranked ODI batter in the world. He is known for his flamboyance, but this knock of 121 was so uncharacteristic of Gill. The batter had to fight a lone battle for most of his innings, losing batters one after the other at the other end.
Gill showcased great character throughout his stay as he brought up his 5th ODI ton, 4th in 2023, and amassed 1000 runs this calendar year. The back of the run machine has to be one of the huge positives for India from this game.
Read More: Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: Shubman and Rohit's Blistering Partnership Puts India In Command
What's next
The grand finale will take place in two days, with India taking on Sri Lanka at the same venue.
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