The Great Game Called Cricket...

It almost seemed the ghost of 2007 World Cup returning to haunt India at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. But a defiant 152-run alliance between MS Dhoni (101*) and Virat Kohli (91) saved India from another heart-break and saw them home with six wickets and 15 balls to spare.

Dhoni stood like the Rock of Gibraltar between India and defeat. In his characteristic manner – effective if not artistic – he got into the act of nudging the ball and sprinting between the 22 yards. The captain salvaged Team India’s rocking boat with an inspiring century.

He anchored the Indian innings with an undefeated 101 off 107 balls. He yet again exhibited his indefatigable stamina to take India through the 297-run target from a precarious 51 for three. For his match-winning knock, which comprised nine searing hits to the fence, Dhoni was declared the man of the match.

Virat, on the other hand, impressively rose to the occasion and showed terrific temperament during his 102-ball innings. He moulded his innings with a potter’s care, keeping his natural aggression in check, yet scoring at a decent pace. The toil between the wickets had him cramping and he sought the assistance of a runner. Perhaps, his sapping energy got the better of him and he gave a simple return catch to Shakib Al Hasan. Virat fell for 91, nine short of what could have been his second ODI hundred.

After setting a target of 297, left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak started the proceedings for Bangladesh with pacer Syed Rasel. Though not with his delivery, he still provided the breakthrough with a brilliant direct-hit to send Virender Sehwag (13) packing.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli moved on after the big-blow, punishing Razzak’s three wide full-tosses to the boundary. But India’s hopes of recovery were soon dashed by Rubel Hossain. Gambhir offered a loose shot to a full-length delivery pitched outside off and stood stunned as the ball rattled his stumps after taking an inside edge.

Yuvraj Singh (1) walked in with the pressure of holding the Indian innings together but four deliveries later he took the long walk back to the pavilion. He was done in by a delivery from Rasel that came into him and took the bails off.

Skipper MS Dhoni had his job cut out and young Kohli once again found himself in a pressure cooker situation. Building a huge partnership was the need of the hour for India and the Kohli-Dhoni duo went about the task with caution and care.

Runs came in a trickle as the resurgent Bangladeshi bowlers turned the screws on the batsmen. Pressure as well as the required run-rate mounted on with every dot-ball played. But Dhoni and Virat lost neither hope nor patience. They worked their way to revive India’s innings, putting up a stand of 152 runs.

When Virat fell, Indian still needed 94 runs off 15 overs and the match hung very much in balance. Suresh Raina rose to the occasion and scored an impressive unbeaten 51 off just 43 deliveries to help India seal the match. His knock was punctuated with five boundaries and a six. He was involved in a wonderful 94-run partnership with Dhoni to take India home comfortably.

Earlier, Bangladesh batsmen vindicated captain Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to bat first in great style by notching up a massive 296 for six. The foundation was laid by Tamim Iqbal, who stunned the Indians with his whirlwind 42-ball knock of 60 runs.

Imrul Kayes played a perfect supporting role; the duo notched up 80 runs in 66 balls, bringing up Bangladesh’s highest opening stand against India. Kayes contributed with a solid knock of 70, notching yet another 50-plus run stand, with Mohammad Ashraful (29).

After the Indians pulled back things in the middle overs, Mohammad Mahmudullah came up with another breezy 60-run knock to take Bangladesh close to the 300-run mark. He made optimum use of the batting powerplay to clobber the Indian bowlers for eight boundaries during his 45-ball innings.

Yuvraj’s miserly spell of one for 33 in 10 overs was in stark contrast to the generosity of most of his colleagues, who not only gave runs but also bowled 3.3 extra overs by way of wides and no-balls.