Not for the first time in this Asia Cup, India won a match when nowhere near top gear. Put into bat by Bangladesh’s stand-in skipper Jaker Ali, India shrugged off a slow start to get to 83 for no loss after eight overs, but then lost five wickets in the next 7.2 overs to blow all chances of pushing a score of 200.
After Abhishek Sharma blazed his way to 75 from 37 balls, hitting five sixes, India managed just four fours in the last five overs, all off Hardik Pandya’s bat, while in this period Axar Patel faced four dots in his unbeaten 10 off 15.
But such is the variety in India’s bowling ensemble that 168 proved a bit much for Bangladesh, who ended on 127 to leave their fate in the Asia Cup hinging on the must-win game with Pakistan. India, still unbeaten, are into Sunday’s final.
The first three overs of India’s innings brought just 17 runs, as several hard-hit shots landed in no man’s land. In the third over, Jaker, who was keeping wickets in Litton Das’ absence as well, put down a diving catch to reprieve Abhishek on 7. That was the break the Indian opener needed, and the proverbial horse bolted.
A six off Nasum Ahmed made it 21 off the fourth over, and Abhishek then welcomed Mustafizur Rahman into the attack with two more sixes. The Powerplay was closed out with four fours off Mohammad Saifuddin, getting India to their best six-over score of the Asia Cup at 72 without loss, and Abhishek was purring on 46 from 19 deliveries.
Shubman Gill did his part in that opening stand with 29 off 19, but once again the vice-captain failed to convert a start. Looking to emulate Abhishek, Gill mistimed a lofted shot off the legspin of Rishad Hossain to long-off. Moments later, the dismissal was replicated by Shivam Dube who made a meal of his chance to bat at No 3 when he also chipped Hossain to long-off.
Abhishek continued to hit out when the chances came, reached his fifty in 27 balls and looked set for plenty more until a moment of confusion in the 12th over, which saw two wickets fall. Abhishek was run out off the first ball of the over and off the last, Suryakumar Yadav nicked Mustafizur.
From the dominance of 83/0 after eight overs, India had slipped to 114/4 in 12. That became 129/5 with the wicket of an off-color Tilak Varma, who picked out deep midwicket of the pace of Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the 15th over.
India continued with the right-left approach and sent in Axar ahead of Sanju Samson, but Axar was all at sea. He failed to time the ball, which left Pandya to get India past 150 with a vital 38 off 29 balls.
Bangladesh’s reply was limp. Saif Hassan top-scored with 69 off 51, inclusive of six sixes, but the next best was 21 and nobody other than Parvez Hossain Emon reached double-digits. Wickets kept falling – 4/1, 46/2, 65/3, 74/4, 87/5 – which left Hassan to do the heavy lifting. Try he did, but the asking rate soared as India’s terrific bowling unit chipped away.
Jasprit Bumrah bounced back from a bad game with 2/18 from his four overs; Varun Chakravathy pocked 2/29; Kuldeep Yadav spun a web with 3/18; and there was a wicket apiece to Axar and Varma.
