Kohli departs after strong stand
Friday, 8 January 2010
An inspired opening burst by the Bangladesh bowlers gave them hope of defending a tall target, but a patient, rearguard stand between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni evened the score. India were just behind the asking rate at the halfway mark, needing 163 runs off 150 balls, but the result hinged on who would crack first under pressure, according to website cricinfo.
There was a change in approach and strategy when Bangladesh came out to field. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan sensed that the best way to keep the Indians quiet would be to take the pace off the ball while it was new and make them work harder for their runs. He introduced his best spinner, Abdur Razzak, in the second over itself to give him as many overs as possible before the dew got worse.
Gautam Gambhir chased a delivery from Rubel Hossain shaping away from him and edged to his leg stump. There was further excitement for Bangladesh when Rasel got one to bend back in and hit Yuvraj's stumps as he played inside the line. India had lost three within the opening Powerplay and there was a spring in the step of the Bangladesh fielders, with the belief that they could pull it off.
Shakib Al Hasan gambled by batting first, knowing his bowlers would be challenged by the dew later in the evening, and in doing so set an ultimatum for his batsmen to perform. It's still hard to tell what is a good score, but his batsmen, led by half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and later Mahmudullah, gave the Indians plenty to think about with an admirable batting performance. Bangladesh posted their highest score against a Test-playing nation, gave their bowlers a target to bowl at and set up an exciting contest.
Tamim batted with supreme confidence for an exciting 60 while Imrul Kayes played the supporting role, looking to occupy the crease and build partnerships. India clawed back during the middle overs before Mahmudullah scripted an attacking fifty during the batting Powerplay.
His half-century stand with Mohammad Ashraful heralded a period of consolidation, following Tamim's departure. With spinners bowling in tandem, they pushed the scoring along at more than four an over. India needed a wicket at that stage and it came thanks to a wrong choice of shot by Ashraful, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja while trying to glide him down to third man.
Bangladesh lost their way a bit after they lost their captain Shakib for a duck, run out off a direct hit by Zaheer from the deep. The fast bowlers were reintroduced in the middle overs with a specific plan to attack with bouncers. It unsettled the batsmen, as several swishes and hooks met thin air, the batsmen beaten for pace and bounce. Dhoni set up a trap for Kayes by placing two fielders in the deep and he fell right into it, hooking Nehra to Virat Kohli at deep square leg. Yuvraj Singh bowled a disciplined ten overs for 33 runs and took the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim, caught slashing to cover point.
Score Board
Bangladesh innings:
Tamim Iqbal c Gambhir b Sreesanth 60
Imrul Kayes c Kohli b Nehra 70
Mohammad Ashraful b Jadeja 29
Shakib Al Hasan run out (Khan) 0
Raqibul Hasan b Harbhajan Singh 32
Mushfiqur Rahim c Jadeja b Yuvraj Singh 6
Mahmudullah not out 60
Naeem Islam not out 14
Extras: (lb 4, w 17, nb 4) 25
Total: (6 wickets; 50 overs) 296
India innings:
G Gambhir b Rubel Hossain 18
V Sehwag run out (Abdur Razzak) 13
V Kohli c & b Shakib Al Hasan 91
Yuvraj Singh b Syed Rasel 1
MS Dhoni not out 71
SK Raina not out 2
Extras: (lb 6, w 9, nb 3) 18
Total: (4 wickets; 36.2 overs) 214
Last score: 276/4 (47.4 overs) BST 10:10 PM.
There was a change in approach and strategy when Bangladesh came out to field. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan sensed that the best way to keep the Indians quiet would be to take the pace off the ball while it was new and make them work harder for their runs. He introduced his best spinner, Abdur Razzak, in the second over itself to give him as many overs as possible before the dew got worse.
Gautam Gambhir chased a delivery from Rubel Hossain shaping away from him and edged to his leg stump. There was further excitement for Bangladesh when Rasel got one to bend back in and hit Yuvraj's stumps as he played inside the line. India had lost three within the opening Powerplay and there was a spring in the step of the Bangladesh fielders, with the belief that they could pull it off.
Shakib Al Hasan gambled by batting first, knowing his bowlers would be challenged by the dew later in the evening, and in doing so set an ultimatum for his batsmen to perform. It's still hard to tell what is a good score, but his batsmen, led by half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and later Mahmudullah, gave the Indians plenty to think about with an admirable batting performance. Bangladesh posted their highest score against a Test-playing nation, gave their bowlers a target to bowl at and set up an exciting contest.
Tamim batted with supreme confidence for an exciting 60 while Imrul Kayes played the supporting role, looking to occupy the crease and build partnerships. India clawed back during the middle overs before Mahmudullah scripted an attacking fifty during the batting Powerplay.
His half-century stand with Mohammad Ashraful heralded a period of consolidation, following Tamim's departure. With spinners bowling in tandem, they pushed the scoring along at more than four an over. India needed a wicket at that stage and it came thanks to a wrong choice of shot by Ashraful, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja while trying to glide him down to third man.
Bangladesh lost their way a bit after they lost their captain Shakib for a duck, run out off a direct hit by Zaheer from the deep. The fast bowlers were reintroduced in the middle overs with a specific plan to attack with bouncers. It unsettled the batsmen, as several swishes and hooks met thin air, the batsmen beaten for pace and bounce. Dhoni set up a trap for Kayes by placing two fielders in the deep and he fell right into it, hooking Nehra to Virat Kohli at deep square leg. Yuvraj Singh bowled a disciplined ten overs for 33 runs and took the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim, caught slashing to cover point.
Score Board
Bangladesh innings:
Tamim Iqbal c Gambhir b Sreesanth 60
Imrul Kayes c Kohli b Nehra 70
Mohammad Ashraful b Jadeja 29
Shakib Al Hasan run out (Khan) 0
Raqibul Hasan b Harbhajan Singh 32
Mushfiqur Rahim c Jadeja b Yuvraj Singh 6
Mahmudullah not out 60
Naeem Islam not out 14
Extras: (lb 4, w 17, nb 4) 25
Total: (6 wickets; 50 overs) 296
India innings:
G Gambhir b Rubel Hossain 18
V Sehwag run out (Abdur Razzak) 13
V Kohli c & b Shakib Al Hasan 91
Yuvraj Singh b Syed Rasel 1
MS Dhoni not out 71
SK Raina not out 2
Extras: (lb 6, w 9, nb 3) 18
Total: (4 wickets; 36.2 overs) 214
Last score: 276/4 (47.4 overs) BST 10:10 PM.