Put in to bat at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where the boundaries were on a slower side, India began unusually cautiously, collecting just 10 runs in the first two overs.
Photo: IANS
Bangladesh weathered a brutal assault from Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill before successfully pulling things back to restrict India to a below-par 168/6 in their Asia Cup Super 4 clash in Dubai on Wednesday.
Put in to bat at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where the boundaries were on a slower side, India began unusually cautiously, collecting just 10 runs in the first two overs. The tempo changed soon after, as Abhishek (75 off 37 balls) and Gill (29 off 19) shifted gears to power India to 72 without loss in the Powerplay.
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Gill opened the floodgates by smashing left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed for a four and a six, before Abhishek, who had received a reprieve on seven when stand-in captain Jaker Ali dropped him behind the stumps, joined the fun with a towering hit over long-on to close the over.
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The carnage from the Indian opening pair left Bangladesh, already without their regular skipper Litton Das, left out due to a side strain and three other changes, clueless with their bowling plans. They turned to their most reliable seamer, Mustafizur Rahman, in an attempt to halt the charge, but Abhishek welcomed him with authority, launching him over long-on and following up with another six over short third.
The assault doubled when Mohammad Saifuddin, drafted in for his first match of the tournament, was greeted with four boundaries from Abhishek, helping India register their highest-ever Powerplay score in the tournament. While Gill was reduced to the role of spectator at the other end, he still managed to punch Rishad Hossain for a boundary immediately after the field restrictions eased, only to fall to the same bowler a couple of deliveries later.
In the following over, Abhishek brought up his third T20I fifty, and second in succession this tournament, off just 25 balls, even as India’s gamble to push Shivam Dube up to No.3 backfired, with the tall left-hander departing cheaply.
Abhishek, however, continued unfazed, smashing Rishad over deep mid-wicket as India reached 96/2 at the halfway mark. Shortly after the break, another flurry of strokes followed, but his sparkling knock came to an end due to a massive mix-up with captain Suryakumar Yadav, leaving him stranded short of the crease.
With Abhishek gone, Bangladesh sensed an opening. Mustafizur provided them with the much-needed breakthrough as Suryakumar nicked one behind towards the leg side before a cleverly disguised slower delivery from Tanzim Hasan Sakib got rid of Tilak Varma (5).
India, cruising at one stage, suddenly found themselves reeling at 129/5 in the 15th over.
At that point, the responsibility fell on Hardik Pandya (38) and Axar Patel (10) to provide a strong finish. Hardik initially played himself in carefully, while Axar struggled to connect. For more than three overs India failed to find the boundary, enduring a 22-ball drought, before Hardik broke the shackles with a series of clean, powerful strikes. His counterattack ensured India regained momentum in the closing overs, giving their total a sense of competitiveness despite the mid-innings wobble.
Brief Scores: India 168/6 (Abhishek Sharma 75, Hardik Pandya 38, Shubman Gill 29; Rishad Hossain 2/27) vs Bangladesh
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