#Ind v #Ban
#WT20 - Group 2 Match
Chinnaswany Stadium, Bengaluru
What is it about Bangladesh that gives Indian cricket team nightmares?
It was on the same day, 23rd Mar 2007, that Bangladesh announced them on world stage beating the fancied Indian team in a group game at #ICC 50-Over #WorldCup in West Indies. Wreckers in chief - Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan (all brimming youngsters then)!
Fast forward to 23rd Mar 2016 (exactly 9 years on), they planned another coup on India in #TW20 World Cup and it almost came off.... almost, well .... they gave it away to India on a plate really. Such was Bangladesh's dominance that off the 240 balls bowled by both sides, they were all but winning on the first 237 of them. 3 balls later they had gifted a match to India on a golden platter (when Indian team had already started packing their bags after a dismal WT20 campaign). It just summed up the entire show.
Winning the toss and electing to field on a "tacky" wicket, Bangladesh seamers and spinners never really allowed the Indian batsmen to get away. India's top-order in woeful form didnt help matters either. Shikhar and Rohit tried to hit their way out of trouble but claimed by Shakib and Mustafizur respectively for not many. In form Virat Kohli walked to a raucous applause from his #RCB crowd and he set up to do a repair job with another out-of-form batsman in Raina. His sublime batting and ability to run ones-twos helped India to crawl back into the lead.
Just like previous matches though, a middle order collapse ensued. Kohli was bowled by Suvagata. Hardik Pandya, who was prromoted ahead of Yuvraj and Dhoni inflicted some lusty blows but Raina and him were caught in the deep off consecutive deliveries by Al-Amin left India reeling. Sowmya Sarkar's catch to dismiss Pandya should easily win him the "Catch of the Tournament" award. Yuvraj came and went. Dhoni and Ashwin tried to hit out but could only scrape through the last few overs to set up a well below par 146 on a not-so-bad wicket.
Considering evening dew and pitch improving, Bangladesh had the best chance to upstage India. In came Tamim with the same mindset as that 2007. Flashing hard, he set out punishing the Indian bowlers. India's fielding was well below par too. A dropped chance off Ashwin by Bumrah proved more than costly. In the following over, Bumrah was dispatched for 4 boundaries by Tamim (rubbing a lot of salt and pepper on the injuries).
Although India kept picking wickets, Bangladesh was always ahead. They had a plan. Every batsman coming in was looking to be aggressive and this kept the runs coming in. Dhoni;s smartness accounted for Sabbir's stumping, Mashrafe promoted himself and smashed Raina for six signalling his intentions. Ravindra Jadeja though came up with his variety of spin to dismiss both Tamim and Mashrafe to balance the scales.
Meanwhile Shakib was collecting boundaries and sixes at regular intervals to keep Bangladesh within touching distance but once he edged to slip off a beauty from Ashwin, things began to look interesting.
With Sowmya Sarkar and Mahmadullah at the crease, things were still in Bangla control. Both of them were cautious and the occasional big shot was all that was needed to cross the finish line.
34 from 24 balls.
Dhoni's spinners had completed their quota. Bumrah had forgettable night thus far (2 overs for 21) while the fifth bowler still had one over to go. Bangladesh were probably waiting for that over to come. Smartly, Dhoni opted to get the seasoned bowlers first and gambled with Bumrah. It paid off. Just 6 runs from the 17th over. With wonderful ball control and ability to york, Bumrah ensured a low scoring over.
28 from 18 balls.
Ball passed on to veteran Nehra. His second ball smashed to boundary by Sowmya but ballooned a low full toss the same over (off Nehra). Advantage India. In walks Mushfiqur, the dimunitive, tenacious player tailor-made for these tense situations. The final ball of the over smashed by Mahmudullah through covers for four. Advantage Bangladesh again.
17 from 12 balls.
It had to be toss up between Bumrah and Pandya. Should Dhoni hold back Bumrah for the final over and squeeze in the yorkers or get him on now and make it as difficult as possible in the final over. He chose the latter option. Bumrah once again bowled beautifully conceding just 6 singles.
11 from 6 balls.
So, stage set for the final over showdown.
Bangladesh's best finisher in Mahmudullah and supercool experienced Mushfiqur vs rookie medium pacer Pandya (who was taken to the cleaners earlier in the innings).
Ball 1 - Pandya bowls outside off, Mahmudullah strokes to deep cover for a single
Ball 2 - Pandya balls wider of the shuffling Mushfiqur but on length and thats good enough for him to smash it over covers for four. Jubilant Bangla fans dance in the aisles.
Ball 3 - Pandya goes a bit fuller but then again cheeky Mushfiqur scoops it over his shoulder past the outstretched hands of Dhoni for another four at fine leg. Mushiqur starts celebrating and punching the air. Bangla fans go wild. Job almost done!
9 off 3 achieved already, 2 from 3 balls needed.
Plain and simple. Two singles would do it. The field was still in-out type to cater to the boundary hit.
Ball 4 - Very very short of length ball that sat up and Mushfiqur goes for the glory shot. A pull over midwicket. Instead he mistimes it holes it straight down deep midwicket's throat. Shikhar Dhawan accepting a dolly. Mushfiq is gutted and ambles back. Batsmen have crossed over, so Mahmudullah on strike which is advantage Bangladesh. Shuvagata the new batsman at the non-striker's end.
Ball 5 - Inexplicably (or was it planned), Pandya delivers a low full toss that Mahmudullah can park anywhere in the stadium but he chooses height over distance. His looping shot is wonderfully taken by Jadeja at deep midwicket (this was smart captaincy by Dhoni to replace Dhawan with Jadeja at midwicket). Batsman cross over, Shuvagata on strike for the final ball. Mustafizur, the new man in, will be off strike, ready to run his fastest no matter what Suvagata comes up on that last ball.
2 runs from 1 ball.
Its all about this last ball now. From an easy walk in the park, Bangladesh have managed to dig themselves into a hole from nowhere. Most importantly, their experienced batsmen have done this!
After a lot of deliberation, mid pitch talks and lot of advice from all round, Pandya starts from the top of his bowling mark.
The plan looks to be set. Bounce it outside off, hope batsman misses and run the batsman out. Dhoni even removes his right glove to grip the ball better if needed.
Pandya pitches short and wide of offstump (but well within the wide marker), Shuvagata swings and misses, Dhoni gathers and starts running towards the stumps (smartly does not throw from his place to avoid missing them or ricochets for overthrows). Mustafizur is out of his blocks from the non-striker's end too. Its all about who wins this running race now. Bolt vs Gatlin? Dhoni wins. He whips the stumps while Mustafizur slides his bat in the popping crease. Who won? Third umpire called on to make the decision.
Everyone is tense. Players, Umpires, Crowd all waiting for the flash screen to indicate the result. OUT would mean India win, NOT OUT would mean the match goes into a super over knock out. Wow!
And O - U - T appears on the screen announcing an amazing Houdini escape for the Indian team. Nowhere for the first 237 balls, winners by virtue of the last three!
Amazing scenes at the Chinnaswany Stadium. Crowd goes wild, India players celebrate while Bangla supporters and players are gutted. Cruel, cruel game this!
INDIA WIN BY 1 RUN.
One for the memories. A classic to remember for all time.
The day Bangladesh will never forget and so will India. The day when Bangladesh gave away their win and a chance for India to move to the semifinals.
Man of the Match: Ravi Ashwin
Brief Score:
India: 146 for 7, 20 overs
Bangladesh: 145 for 9, 20 overs
#WT20 - Group 2 Match
Chinnaswany Stadium, Bengaluru
What is it about Bangladesh that gives Indian cricket team nightmares?
It was on the same day, 23rd Mar 2007, that Bangladesh announced them on world stage beating the fancied Indian team in a group game at #ICC 50-Over #WorldCup in West Indies. Wreckers in chief - Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan (all brimming youngsters then)!
Fast forward to 23rd Mar 2016 (exactly 9 years on), they planned another coup on India in #TW20 World Cup and it almost came off.... almost, well .... they gave it away to India on a plate really. Such was Bangladesh's dominance that off the 240 balls bowled by both sides, they were all but winning on the first 237 of them. 3 balls later they had gifted a match to India on a golden platter (when Indian team had already started packing their bags after a dismal WT20 campaign). It just summed up the entire show.
Winning the toss and electing to field on a "tacky" wicket, Bangladesh seamers and spinners never really allowed the Indian batsmen to get away. India's top-order in woeful form didnt help matters either. Shikhar and Rohit tried to hit their way out of trouble but claimed by Shakib and Mustafizur respectively for not many. In form Virat Kohli walked to a raucous applause from his #RCB crowd and he set up to do a repair job with another out-of-form batsman in Raina. His sublime batting and ability to run ones-twos helped India to crawl back into the lead.
Just like previous matches though, a middle order collapse ensued. Kohli was bowled by Suvagata. Hardik Pandya, who was prromoted ahead of Yuvraj and Dhoni inflicted some lusty blows but Raina and him were caught in the deep off consecutive deliveries by Al-Amin left India reeling. Sowmya Sarkar's catch to dismiss Pandya should easily win him the "Catch of the Tournament" award. Yuvraj came and went. Dhoni and Ashwin tried to hit out but could only scrape through the last few overs to set up a well below par 146 on a not-so-bad wicket.
Considering evening dew and pitch improving, Bangladesh had the best chance to upstage India. In came Tamim with the same mindset as that 2007. Flashing hard, he set out punishing the Indian bowlers. India's fielding was well below par too. A dropped chance off Ashwin by Bumrah proved more than costly. In the following over, Bumrah was dispatched for 4 boundaries by Tamim (rubbing a lot of salt and pepper on the injuries).
Although India kept picking wickets, Bangladesh was always ahead. They had a plan. Every batsman coming in was looking to be aggressive and this kept the runs coming in. Dhoni;s smartness accounted for Sabbir's stumping, Mashrafe promoted himself and smashed Raina for six signalling his intentions. Ravindra Jadeja though came up with his variety of spin to dismiss both Tamim and Mashrafe to balance the scales.
Meanwhile Shakib was collecting boundaries and sixes at regular intervals to keep Bangladesh within touching distance but once he edged to slip off a beauty from Ashwin, things began to look interesting.
With Sowmya Sarkar and Mahmadullah at the crease, things were still in Bangla control. Both of them were cautious and the occasional big shot was all that was needed to cross the finish line.
34 from 24 balls.
Dhoni's spinners had completed their quota. Bumrah had forgettable night thus far (2 overs for 21) while the fifth bowler still had one over to go. Bangladesh were probably waiting for that over to come. Smartly, Dhoni opted to get the seasoned bowlers first and gambled with Bumrah. It paid off. Just 6 runs from the 17th over. With wonderful ball control and ability to york, Bumrah ensured a low scoring over.
28 from 18 balls.
Ball passed on to veteran Nehra. His second ball smashed to boundary by Sowmya but ballooned a low full toss the same over (off Nehra). Advantage India. In walks Mushfiqur, the dimunitive, tenacious player tailor-made for these tense situations. The final ball of the over smashed by Mahmudullah through covers for four. Advantage Bangladesh again.
17 from 12 balls.
It had to be toss up between Bumrah and Pandya. Should Dhoni hold back Bumrah for the final over and squeeze in the yorkers or get him on now and make it as difficult as possible in the final over. He chose the latter option. Bumrah once again bowled beautifully conceding just 6 singles.
11 from 6 balls.
So, stage set for the final over showdown.
Bangladesh's best finisher in Mahmudullah and supercool experienced Mushfiqur vs rookie medium pacer Pandya (who was taken to the cleaners earlier in the innings).
Ball 1 - Pandya bowls outside off, Mahmudullah strokes to deep cover for a single
Ball 2 - Pandya balls wider of the shuffling Mushfiqur but on length and thats good enough for him to smash it over covers for four. Jubilant Bangla fans dance in the aisles.
Ball 3 - Pandya goes a bit fuller but then again cheeky Mushfiqur scoops it over his shoulder past the outstretched hands of Dhoni for another four at fine leg. Mushiqur starts celebrating and punching the air. Bangla fans go wild. Job almost done!
9 off 3 achieved already, 2 from 3 balls needed.
Plain and simple. Two singles would do it. The field was still in-out type to cater to the boundary hit.
Ball 4 - Very very short of length ball that sat up and Mushfiqur goes for the glory shot. A pull over midwicket. Instead he mistimes it holes it straight down deep midwicket's throat. Shikhar Dhawan accepting a dolly. Mushfiq is gutted and ambles back. Batsmen have crossed over, so Mahmudullah on strike which is advantage Bangladesh. Shuvagata the new batsman at the non-striker's end.
Ball 5 - Inexplicably (or was it planned), Pandya delivers a low full toss that Mahmudullah can park anywhere in the stadium but he chooses height over distance. His looping shot is wonderfully taken by Jadeja at deep midwicket (this was smart captaincy by Dhoni to replace Dhawan with Jadeja at midwicket). Batsman cross over, Shuvagata on strike for the final ball. Mustafizur, the new man in, will be off strike, ready to run his fastest no matter what Suvagata comes up on that last ball.
2 runs from 1 ball.
Its all about this last ball now. From an easy walk in the park, Bangladesh have managed to dig themselves into a hole from nowhere. Most importantly, their experienced batsmen have done this!
After a lot of deliberation, mid pitch talks and lot of advice from all round, Pandya starts from the top of his bowling mark.
The plan looks to be set. Bounce it outside off, hope batsman misses and run the batsman out. Dhoni even removes his right glove to grip the ball better if needed.
Pandya pitches short and wide of offstump (but well within the wide marker), Shuvagata swings and misses, Dhoni gathers and starts running towards the stumps (smartly does not throw from his place to avoid missing them or ricochets for overthrows). Mustafizur is out of his blocks from the non-striker's end too. Its all about who wins this running race now. Bolt vs Gatlin? Dhoni wins. He whips the stumps while Mustafizur slides his bat in the popping crease. Who won? Third umpire called on to make the decision.
Everyone is tense. Players, Umpires, Crowd all waiting for the flash screen to indicate the result. OUT would mean India win, NOT OUT would mean the match goes into a super over knock out. Wow!
And O - U - T appears on the screen announcing an amazing Houdini escape for the Indian team. Nowhere for the first 237 balls, winners by virtue of the last three!
Amazing scenes at the Chinnaswany Stadium. Crowd goes wild, India players celebrate while Bangla supporters and players are gutted. Cruel, cruel game this!
INDIA WIN BY 1 RUN.
One for the memories. A classic to remember for all time.
The day Bangladesh will never forget and so will India. The day when Bangladesh gave away their win and a chance for India to move to the semifinals.
Man of the Match: Ravi Ashwin
Brief Score:
India: 146 for 7, 20 overs
Bangladesh: 145 for 9, 20 overs
