India set up a fierce final with old rivals
ThE Champions Trophy will have the final of its dreams after India brushed aside Bangladesh to set up a noholds-barred showdown with Pakistan at the Oval.
Political tensions mean the two neighbours no longer contest bilateral series, an impasse that adds extra masala to Sunday’s clash. It will be the first global 50- over final between the sides and possibly the most-watched cricket match of all time.
India will start as favourites after their batsmen made short work of an inadequate Bangladesh total of 264 for seven at Edgbaston, romping home by nine wickets with almost 10 overs to spare.
Truth be told, it was another onesided game in a tournament full of them. But with the competition deprived of a heavyweight final between India and England — the two best flat-pitch teams — India v Pakistan is no booby prize.
And India could be tested by an attack that has clicked at just the right time, limiting South Africa to 219 for eight, Sri Lanka to 236 and — in Wednesday’s first semi-final at Cardiff — England to 211. But the Indians began their title defence by hammering Pakistan at Edgbaston by 124 runs, and the suspicion remains that they will have too much for their old rivals.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, however, was taking nothing for granted. ‘Their turnaround has been magnificent,’ he said. ‘They’ve beaten sides who have looked strong and shown their belief.’ how England will have looked on in envy here as, on another true surface at Edgbaston, India exerted their superiority over Bangladesh, who were appearing in their first ICC semi-final. So fluently did the ball come on to the bat that India could probably have chased down 350. A grateful Kohli described the pitch as ‘beautiful to bat on’. The thought occurred that England would have been better off finishing second in Group A rather than winning three out of three, which left them facing a semi-final on a used pitch against a team who had made use of the same strip two days earlier.
While Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were adding 123 for Bangladesh’s third wicket after Kohli had chosen to bowl, another upset could not be ruled out.
But Kedar Jadhav’s filthy-looking slow round-armers winkled out Tamim for 70 and Mushfiqur, who slapped a low full toss to midwicket, for 61.
Bangladesh scrapped their way to a total that was never likely to push India’s batting galacticos.
In reply, Shikhar Dhawan — who overtook Tamim as the tournament’s leading run-scorer — cracked 46 from 34 deliveries in an opening stand of 87, before Rohit Sharma eased to an 111-ball century.
But the most sumptuous strokes in an unbroken second-wicket stand of 178 in 153 balls came from Kohli, for whom victory on Sunday would not be a bad retort to those who like to point out his mediocre record in England.
his unbeaten 96 took his average in successful one-day chases to a sensational 95. If he gets going against Pakistan, it will be hard to stop India.