Bangladesh vs India, 1st ODI, 2022-23: Shakib Al Hasan’s 5/36 and 29, KL Rahul’s 73 and Mustafizur Rahman-Mehidy Hasan Miraz's 51-run stand for 10th wicket are top performances. Bangladesh beat India by 1 wicket to go 1-0 up in the 3-match ODI series
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 187/9 (Das 41, Mehidy 38*, Siraj 3/32) beat India 186 (Rahul 73, Shakib 5/36, Ebadot 4/47) by 1 wicket
Player of the Match: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (38* & 1-43)
India who not so long ago toured New Zealand for a 6-match white ball series took on hosts Bangladesh in the first of the 3-match ODI series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. After a topsy turvy ride, this low-scoring thriller where just 373 runs were scored in toto, hosts Bangladesh on the back of a record 4th highest last wicket stand (51*) in a successful chase, pulled off a stunning 1-wicket win over India to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Anchor approach of top three big worry for India
The major point of discussion has to be India’s batting approach. Their top-3 consisting of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, without any doubt, have been prolific in the past but as the game is progressing at a rapid pace and looking at the rest of the teams, there is a need to break free from the anchor approach that they most often assume has to be shelved for India to get off to explosive starts.
Even though the three aforementioned batters strike at around 90 in ODIs, do India need to bring more expressive batters like Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson, who strike at above 100 in their short ODI careers so far, in place of two of their established top three is a question that needs serious thought.
India skittled out for 186 as Shakib-Ebadot return combined figures of 9-83
Rohit, Kohli and KL Rahul who missed the New Zealand series owing to rest, returned to the team and the visitors fielded as many as four all-rounders namely Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, while handing the debut cap to pacer Kuldeep Sen.
Litton Das made his debut as skipper for Bangladesh as he replaced injured Tamim Iqbal in that role. Ebadot Hossain got a game in place of Taskin Ahmed who was also out injured.
Das won the toss and opted to bowl first on a tacky wicket which showed promise for the bowlers to a great extent.
After being inserted into bat, India’s openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma got off to a cautious start. Dhawan in particular played a watchful first few overs and the pressure of not scoring got the better of him as he dragged one from Mehidy Hasan Miraz for just 7.
India skipper Sharma played some strokes before getting bamboozled by an arm ball from experienced Shakib Al Hasan for 27, and Virat Kohli too departed in the same over courtesy of a spectacular catch by Bangladesh skipper Litton Das at covers.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer attempted to consolidate the innings, but the latter’s short ball struggle came to haunt him as Ebadot Hossain bounced him out when he was on a well-set 24 from 39 balls. Sundar who played confidently in the New Zealand ODIs joined Rahul at the crease who seemed the only batter at ease. The duo added 60 runs but a poor stroke from Sundar resulted in his downfall as Shakib picked his 3rd wicket of the innings. This pushed back India further and the Bangladesh all-rounder got 2 more (Shardul and Chahar) without giving away anything. Rahul scored his 11th ODI fifty and played a solo hand as the wickets fell like 9 pins at the other end.
Eventually, Rahul got out for a well-compiled 73 from 70 balls as he succumbed to Ebadot who finished with his career best ODI figures of 4/47 and India ended with a below par total of 186 on a tricky surface.
Bangladesh were (over) cautious in their chase
Chasing a meagre total of 187, Bangladesh got off to a bad start losing Najmul Hossain Shanto on the very first ball of the innings when he edged one to the slips off Deepak Chahar. Anamul played a scratchy knock but his stay ended when he mistimed one off Siraj for 14.
After an extraordinary performance with the ball, Shakib strode to the crease and in the company of stand-in skipper Litton Das, he managed to steady the ship and added 48 runs for the third wicket. But the latter fell to an outstanding reflex catch by keeper KL Rahul off Washington Sundar, after a well made 41. Sundar chipped in once again when he tempted Shakib through covers but a blinder from Kohli sent the all-rounder back to the pavilion.
Mushfiqur-Mahmudullah pair stayed for adding 33 crucial runs for the fifth wicket, but both fell in quick succession to open the floodgates for India. The visitors took 3 more in the space of 2 overs including the debutant Kuldeep Sen’s 2-wicket burst in an over.
Heist from Miraz-Mustafizur amidst India’s poor fielding
But courtesy some poor fielding, a dropped chance by wicketkeeper KL Rahul with the gloves and some thoughtful batting by the last pair of Mehidy and Mustafizur, Bangladesh clinched a famous and thrilling win, one that they should have lost. The duo had no business in chasing this one down but courtesy of lapses by India, their 51* stand (4th highest for the last wicket in a winning cause in ODIs) helped the hosts to a 1-0 lead in the series.
Let us analyse the top three performances in the 1st ODI between India and Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan makes India’s batters dance to his tunes with fourth ODI 5-fer
The veteran left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan was in his elements right from the word go with the ball. On a helpful surface for the bowlers, the wily left-armer got two of the big fishes of India’s batting line-up - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - in the same over as the visitors were reduced to 49/3 in the 11th over of the game.
Again, when the partnership between KL Rahul and Washington Sundar was growing, Shakib dismissed the latter for 19 which triggered a batting collapse. He also took the wickets of all-rounders Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, in the process claiming a well-deserved fifer.
KL Rahul, the lone shining star for India with the bat
KL Rahul came to bat at a time when India had lost their premier three batters in the ODI format and the keeper-batter was at his fluent best right from the start. On a not so easy wicket for batters, Rahul was the only one from either side to score a half-century and even with the fall of partners at the other end, his 73 off 70 took India to 186 giving India’s bowlers something to bowl at.
This is a welcome sign for the team as Rahul has been short of runs in the recent past, and this will give the team confidence ahead of a world cup year.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s all-round show and his 51* last wicket stand with Mustafizur seals the deal for Bangladesh
After a major collapse in the lower middle-order where Bangladesh lost 5 wickets for 8 runs in just a shade above four overs, the team needed 51 more improbable runs to win the contest. This was a daunting task on a relatively challenging batting surface.
But as mentioned earlier, Mehidy, who bowled economically in the afternoon, pulled off a miraculous win from the jaws of defeat along with number 11 batter Mustafizur Rahman. Though India were sloppy on the field, nothing can be taken away from Mehidy whose 39-ball 38* gave the home team a win to remember.
What’s Next
The two sides will meet in the 2nd ODI at the same venue on December 7, after which they will travel further east to Chattogram for the final game of this bilateral series.
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