Indian bowlers had another good day in the office as they restricted Bangladesh to 256 for 8 in 50 overs in Match 17 of the ICC World Cup 2023 being played in Pune.
Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj bagged a couple of wickets each as India stopped the Bangla Tigers for a below-par score at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in the city.
Litton Das top-scored for the visitors with 66 while fellow opener Tanzid Hasan made 51 while the experienced middle-order batters Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim contributed with 46 and 38 respectively for the visitors.
"(On the score) The wicket looks very good. There was no turn on the wicket. If we play simple and normal cricket, we should do it (chase the total).
"(Bowling plans) You have to bowl at the stumps. You cannot bowl here and there. Bowl tight lines and according to the field," Jadeja said at the mid-innings break.
How BAN innings transpired
India made their first breakthrough when Kuldeep Yadav trapped Tanzid Hasan lbw for 51, getting a flat and fast delivery to straighten as the Bangladeshi batter swept across the line. But Tanzid and Litton Das had by then done their job as they put on 93 runs for the opening wicket.
Stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (8) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3) did not last long, Shanto was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Jadeja while Miraz edged behind for KL Rahul to pick up a stunned off Siraj as Bangladesh slumped to 129/3 at the halfway mark.
The collapse and late recovery
And when Litton Das tried to hit Jadeja out of the ground, India's comeback was complete as Bangladesh slumped to 137/4.
Towhid Hridoy tried to his Shardul Thakur off the ground but instead lobbed an easy catch to Shubman Gill off a cross-seam delivery banged on off-stump that bounced a bit. Bangladesh had half of their side back in the pavilion with only 179 runs on the board in the 38th over.
India's death bowling perfection
Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim tried to repair the innings with a 46-ball 38 (1x4, 1x6) but his attempt ended when he tried to cut a wide one from Bumrah and Jadeja plucked a brilliant catch flying parallel to the ground at backward point.
From 201/6 in the 43rd over, Bangladesh could manage to reach the score they did thanks to a superb rearguard innings by Mahmudullah, who struck a 36-ball 46 with three fours and two sixes before being castled by Bumrah with a superb yorker in the final over. (With IANS inputs)
