Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :
The tigers roard once again completing series win with only one match left for recording another whitewash. It is tremendous victory with teenaged otherwise energetic boy Mustafizur Rahman showing majestic bpwling performance(6 wickets). In the previous match he bagged 5 wickets. With this six-wicket win, Bangladesh also cemented their place in the 2017 Champions Trophy. An overjoyed Mashrafe Mortaza, who has been a part of each of Bangladesh’s five victories against India, toasted his team’s “big achievement”. For the tigers it was a landmark series against the former world cup champion. By the time rains came India lost 8 wickets with six giong to Mustafizur’s scalp. As ESPN reports,
Because the game was revised to 47 overs per side, India lost out on some batting opportunity, but that loss was minimal as they were already eight down at the time of the interruption. According to the DLS calculations, the batting resources denied to Bangladesh at the start of their innings, compared to what they would have had in a full 50-over innings, was marginally more than the resources India lost out on.
Had India been only five wickets down instead of eight at the time of the interruption, Bangladesh’s target would have been 214 even if India had eventually been dismissed for 200. That is because, according to DLS calculations, the potential to score runs in three overs would have been higher with five wickets in hand, than with two in hand.
Mustafizur struck with the second ball of the game, having Rohit Sharma drive away from the body to point for a duck, before coming back to dismiss Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Axar Patel in a decisive batting Powerplay that yielded three wickets for 17 runs. When Mustafizur got R Ashwin, he became only the second bowler after Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori to claim five-fors in his first two ODIs.
Mustafizur clapped till his hands hurt and he was mobbed by his team-mates. Mirpur raised itself to a big roar, lapping up its new hero. He would return after the rain break, which caused the target to be revised to 200 in 47 overs, to immediately bowl Ravindra Jadeja via a deflection off the pads.
Bangladesh had a brisk start to their chase, slicing 71 runs off the target in 15 overs. Tamim Iqbal lobbed Dhawal Kulkarni to slip for 13 off 21 balls, Soumya Sarkar was pinged on the badge of the helmet, and there were edges aplenty, but all of it was brushed aside.
Though Soumya was not in fluid touch, with drags and heaves counterbalancing the orthodox drives from the previous game, he added 52 with Litton Das. The spinners briefly helped India claw their way back, Sarkar and Litton falling within four overs of each other. Ashwin, aided by close catchers, preyed on Bangladesh with sharp turn and extra bounce. Dhoni tried to manufacture a game with his spin quartet but Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim, who was spilled by Raina on 9, assumed charge and added 54 in 9.5 overs.
By the time Mushfiqur was run out for 31, the asking rate was under three, and eventually Shakib ‘s calculated 51 off 62 balls put the seal on the landmark win with 54 balls to spare.
However, it was Nasir Hossain who had set the stage for Bangladesh earlier. After trapping Virat Kohli lbw in his second over with a skiddy ball to end a 74-run partnership, he beat a well-set Shikhar Dhawan in the 21st over. Nasir went on to complete his quota for only the second time in ODIs, conceding 33 on both occasions.
Kohli’s 27-ball stay was an indifferent one. He missed out on a couple of half-volleys and even absentmindedly offered a back-foot defence to a free-hit.
Upon Kohli’s dismissal, Dhoni hiked himself up to No.4 for the first time since July 2012. He began positively, unleashing a jabbing punch off the sixth ball he faced and sent it blazing through the off-side ring. He followed it with a similar shot for a similar result off his tenth ball. Soon Dhoni and Dhawan traded caps for helmets and kept the scorecard ticking, taking India to 100 by the 19th over.
Despite the early loss of Rohit, Dhawan was fluent from the outset, lashing four fours on the off side, including successive drives off Mashrafe in the tenth over. He brought up his fifty off 54 balls but perished soon after when he charged down the track to Nasir and edged to Litton, who had taken over the gloves from Mushfiqur for this match. Litton had managed to redeem himself after dropping Dhoni on 20 three balls earlier.
Ambati Rayudu, who replaced Ajinkya Rahane, did not last long and departed for a duck in the 22nd over. Taskin Ahmed and Mashrafe took a cue from Mustafizur and suffocated India further by pulling some pace off the ball.
The visitors needed some breathing space, which was provided by Dhoni and Raina through a steady 53-run stand, only the second partnership of note. However, tight bowling, backed up by predatory fielding meant that no boundaries were scored for a period of 46 balls between the 27th and 35th overs.
The pressure finally told with Mustafizur accounting for Raina off the third ball of the batting Powerplay with an offcutter. By the time Dhoni failed to pick another offcutter and chipped to Sarkar at short cover, India had slumped to 174 for 6. Axar was out off the next ball, bagging his third duck in his last four innings and the third duck of the innings. Ashwin averted the hat-trick but was out nicking behind for four in Mustafizur’s penultimate over.
Rain soon arrived at the score of 196 for 8 to hand India a reprieve lasting a little under two hours, but the damage had already been done by Mustafizur.
Wild jubilitions were all over the country as usual. Then the manifestation was not frenzied. Dhaka varsity most cricket fans opined that if tigers maintain this winning spree they may win world cup. That is not far cry. Some comments are worth-mentioning:
India are a strange team. They were rather bad in the tri-series in Australia before the WC, one of the better teams during the WC and now seem to be pretty ordinary again.
They are definitely big-game players, able to lift for the big tournaments, but I can’t help feeling that their fans deserve more in the years in between. Maybe they just play so much cricket that sustaining that level is too difficult and they prefer to pace themselves in between tournaments rather than risk being burned out when they come around.
The real miracle was how IND managed to play in INT level & ranking..the real miracle would be if IND anyhow can escape a BANGLAWASH against BD! & you call these wins over IND are miracles..you IND’n fans pride & over confidence is smashed under BD’s big foot!
19 year old rookie fast bowler from BD destroyed India’s batting line up twice. Believe me India has the best batting line up in the world. lol.
Congrats BD. Wonderful cricket. Very positive and lots of fight in your attitude. As for India, atleast 5 players need to be axed. This has been one of the most dreadful performances by an Indian side. Even after this, if the captain and the director remain unscathed, then even Zimbabwe will enjoy Indian curry.
While we are elated over our team’s performance, never did we say that there is no room for growth now, so your urge to tell us to stay realistic and what not, is non-understandable. For example, when we hear you talk about how we should never even dream about winning the WC or making it to the semi-finals even, because we must be “realistic” and know our place, my response to that is by that logic, Edison and the likes of him should have given up on their visions, because it must have been “unrealistic” to so many fools who were all hell-bent against dreaming big. Lastly, might i suggest that you take news like these with “hajmola” so that’s it’s easier to digest at least that way? Jokes apart, focus and support your own team instead of berating us or telling us to calm down, which only make you look like sore looser. Good luck to your team for their next matches. Cheers.
Congratulations to Bangladesh…the kings of odi cricket in Asia! I will not say ‘unbelievable’ as they have already shown that they are there! Surprised maybe but certainly not shocking/unbelievable. Like I said some days back…a new power on the horizon! All good for cricket (y). Yep…its time dhoni 🙁 …but its not going to help much. BD’s victory is bd’s talent…nothing to do with india changing anything. Just go up from here bd…all the best! Disbelief among many (ind/bd fans) is the reason for the rude remarks on either side. Both cant belief they won/lost. Relax! BD is here to stay and this isnt the last series for india either.
In any sport, it has always been considered a privilege to have an opponent who is on par or on the way. So, let me assure you that when you suggest we should not to be overjoyed over these wins, we see that sporting spirit is sadly missing, and yes, it is very “non-titanish” (read: unclassy) and makes us wonder if your bigness is only on papers. Consider one simple fact that our match winning percentage has gone from 4% to 41% over the years and that’s a pretty amazing stat for ANY team! We have thoroughly groomed & supported our team and they have just started to deliver, which means we have every right to be on cloud 9 and NOBODY has the right to suggest otherwise.
India played with its full strength and lost. Pakistan played with pretty new faces and lost. This is difference. Congratulations BD for wonderful achievements in the recent two series. Hope you keep flourishing.
Indian supporters who are trying to find closure by berating team BD and their supporters in various fashion, eat some humble pie, guys! You are one of the “titans”, and so there’s a sense of “humiliation” you are feeling, we get it. However, it is kinda pathetic because when the opponent have not only very convincingly and consecutively outplayed you, but also proven their worthiness for some time now against even bigger teams, you, as the veterans, should be appreciating that transition, if for nothing else, than simply out of your love and respect for the game.
No wonder that the tigers posted aqnother series sweep.. The President Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker, Deputy speaker, Opposition leader and ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia extended heartiest congratulations to the national cricket team for clinching the two one-day international (ODI) series against India Now the tigers look forward to series whitewash. Congratulations in anticipation.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque is a professor of Public Administration Dept. of Chittagong University)
