Mehidy Hasan Miraj and Mustafizur Rahaman, the last wicket pair for Bangladesh, pulled off an absolute heist with a thrilling 51-run stand as India choked during the final half hour of the opening one-day international match in Bangladesh on Sunday. As a result, India lost by one wicket in a low-scoring match.
While India produced yet another poor batting performance, which resulted in them being all-out for 186 in 41.2 overs, the bowlers did a wonderful job of reducing Bangladesh to 136 for 9 in the 40th over. This was accomplished while India was all-out for 186.
Moreover, KL Rahul, who was entrusted with keeping duties in order to make room for him and another veteran, Shikhar Dhawan, in the same XI, dropped an easy catch in the air when Bangladesh was still in need of 32 runs.
Miraj (38 not out off 39 balls) and Mustafizur (10 not out) got the team across the finish line in exactly 46 overs. Washington Sundar also did not go for an easy catch at third base, which earned the wrath of the team’s captain, Rohit Sharma.
It was Bangladesh’s highest 10-wicket partnership and the fourth-highest 10-wicket partnership in the history of successful run chases in one-day internationals when Miraj and Mustafizur put on 51 runs together.
On a pitch that provided assistance to both seamers and spinners, the top order of the Indian team, with the exception of KL Rahul (73 runs off 70 balls), performed poorly and were bowled out for a score lower than 200.
However, thanks to the heroic efforts of Mohammed Siraj (3/32), Shardul Thakur (1/21), and Washington Sundar (2/17), the total that appeared to be easily attainable at the break became a sizeable one.
Debutant Kuldeep Sen’s (2/37) pace was used to hit him for three sixes, two of which occurred during the slog overs. Deepak Chahar’s (1/32) pace looked pedestrian towards the end when there was no nip in the air, despite the fact that he provided a first-ball breakthrough.
Earlier, Rahul scored 73 runs off 70 balls on a day when the other batsmen had a hard time getting going and when the team had a lot of players who could play multiple positions. Rahul made five fours and four sixes during his innings.
India’s innings lasted for a total of 41.2 overs, and left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan was responsible for the majority of the damage he caused (5/36).
After the Bangladeshi team made the decision to bowl first, Mustafizur Rahman bowled a wicketless first over, and then Rohit Sharma, the captain of the India team, opened the visitors’ boundary count by smashing Hasan Mahmud through the gap between point and cover.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz was brought into the attack by Bangladesh captain Litton Das in the fourth over, and he started on a tidy note before dismissing Dhawan for seven.
After the medium pacer drifted the ball on his pads, Rohit hit the first six of the series by pulling Mahmud over deep square leg for a six. This was Rohit’s first six hits in the series.
After that, it was Virat Kohli’s turn to pick the deep square-leg region, and the former captain swept Miraz for a four during his at-bat.
Two balls later, the left-arm spinner sent Kohli (9) back after Litton pulled off an incredible catch at cover after diving the full length to his right, leaving Kohli stunned and the crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium ecstatic. There was more joy in store for the hosts as, two balls later, the left-arm spinner sent back Kohli (9) after Litton pulled off an incredible catch at cover after diving the full length to his right.
India required a partnership with the score at 49 for 3 in the 11th over. KL Rahul joined Shreyas Iyer, who was 24 at the time, in the middle, but Ebadot Hossain (4/47), who was rewarded for bowling according to a strategy that is most effective against Iyer—short-pitched stuffs—dismissed Iyer.
Washington Sundar, who was 19, entered the game as the brief stand of 43 runs was drawing to a close. He looked to be of assistance to Rahul in forming a partnership. In spite of this, the pair was only able to add sixty more runs before Washington picked a fielder while attempting to play the reverse sweep against Shakib. This occurred not long after Rahul had reached his fifty-first-run milestone.
Ebadot got Shahbaz Ahmed and Shakib out of the game in the next over, and then he dismissed Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, which left India in a precarious position with 156 runs for eight.
