India beat Bangladesh in Asia Cup thriller
Opener Das’ maiden ton goes in vain as Bangladesh falter in crucial moments in Asia Cup final
The Indian cricket team celebrates with the winners’ trophy in Dubai yesterday after beating Bangladesh by three wickets to win their seventh Asia Cup title. Needing six runs in the last over, India reached the target off the very last ball through a leg bye with an injured Kedar Jadhav battling it out to remain unbeaten on 23.
Bangladesh’s determination and fighting spirit was not enough to stop India from emerging champions in the Unimoni Asia Cup in a keenly fought final at the Dubai International stadium yesterday.
Needing six runs in the final over, India reached the target in the last ball through a leg bye to win by three wickets. Kedar Jadhav, who retired hurt at 167-5 with a pulled muscle, returned at 212-6 to see India home in the company of tailender Kuldeep Yadav. Jadhav remained unbeaten with 23.
Bangladesh did everything to stop the Indians from lifting the Asia Cup for the seventh time, but failed at crucial moments. They paid the price for not posting a bigger total after getting off to a superb start through opener Liton Das, who scored 121 and fashioned an opening partnership of 120 runs with Mehidy Hasan (32).
India, however, fought back and restricted Bangladesh to just 222.
Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started briskly and put on 35 runs in 4.4 overs before leftarm spinner Nazmul forced Dhawan (15) to hit straight to Soumya Sarkar at mid-off. Ambati Rayudu edged Mashrafe Mortaza to the wicketkeeper for 2 to push India to 46 for 2.
Sharma and Dinesh Karthik then added 37 runs in 9.1 overs when Rubel Hossain picked the prize wicket of Sharma having him caught at deep square leg by Nazmul Islam for 48.
All eyes turned towards Dhoni, who joined Karthik. They put on 54 runs in 14 overs before a well-set Karthik was trapped lbw by Mahmudullah for 37.
When Mustafizur Rahman had Dhoni caught behind for 36, India needed 63 runs off the last 83 balls.
Kedar Jadhav who was batting well then retired hurt when India needed 56 runs more to win. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja pulled the team closer to the target. A sixer off Hossain by Kumar in the 46th over eased the pressure, but Jadeja fell for 23 when India needed 11 off 16 balls .
A limping Jadhav returned to the middle only to see the back of Kumar with nine needed off 11 balls. Yadav (5)then walked to the crease and India painstakingly reached the target of 223 in the final ball of the match.
Earlier, India fought back through another fine exhibition of death bowling in which only 24 runs were given away in the last five overs while taking three wickets. The spinners led by Yadav, who bagged three wickets, and Jadhav, who got two vital wickets, stemmed Bangladesh’s run flow.
So dominant was the Indian attack that after the opening partnership, except for Soumya Sarkar (32) none of the other batsmen were allowed to cross single digits.
Das’s knock of 121 runs came off 117 balls with 12 boundaries and two sixes. Indian fielding too rose to the challenge to run out three batsmen.
Narrow escape
India won the toss and opted to bowl. Das edged Bhuvneshwar Kumar dangerously past a diving Dinesh Karthik at second slip off the fourth ball of the match. Karthik could only get a fingertip to the ball. Mehidy Hasan, got his first boundary through a thick edge off Jasprit Bumrah to third man.
When Das hit Chahal for two sixes in the eighth over, Bangladesh fans danced in joy. In the 12th over Das went past his maiden half century and on 52, Chahal dropped him at mid-wicket
off Jadeja. The Bangladesh openers then posted a century partnership by the 18th over, their first since 2016.
The pair added 120 runs in 20.5 overs when Jadhav forced Mehidy to hit him straight to Ambati Rayudu at cover point for 32.
Three overs later, Chahal had Imrul Kayes leg before by making him miss his forward prod. Jadhav stunned the Bangladesh fans by getting the wicket of in-form Mushfiqur Rahim for 5.
Next man Mohammad Mithun fell to brilliance of Jadeja’s fielding for 2.
In the 29th over, Das recorded his maiden One-day hundred to receive a standing applause from the Bangladesh fans. Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket when Yadav forced Mohammad Mahmudullah (4) hit one to Bumrah near deep mid-wicket, who took a fine catch.
Das and Sarkar added 37 runs for the sixth wicket before Dhoni produced
a lightning stumping off Yadav to end Das’s innings. Dhoni also had Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza stumped off Yadav for 7. It was a googly from Yadav that beat Mortaza totally.
Bangladesh went past the 200-run mark in 44.2 overs, but on 213, Nazmul Islam got run out while Bumrah yorked Rubel Hossain for a duck.