3 Indian players who flopped in the must-win 2nd ODI vs Bangladesh
Team India conceded yet another ODI series in Bangladesh as the hosts clinched the second game by five runs in Dhaka to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber.
Washington Sundar and Umran Malik shone with the ball as the Tigers managed to post 271 in their 50 overs. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel helped India recover from the loss of a few early wickets before an injured Rohit Sharma, batting at No. 9, took them to the brink of victory with a heroic effort.
However, others failed to deliver. On that note, here are three Indian players who flopped in the second ODI against Bangladesh.
#3 KL Rahul
KL Rahul has made the No. 5 position his own in the 50-over format for Team India, but he couldn't continue his good run in the second ODI against Bangladesh.
Walking in after Washington Sundar was dismissed at the end of the opening powerplay, Rahul struggled to find his bearings as the Tigers' bowlers hit the right lines and lengths. He was outfoxed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who sent down a slightly quicker delivery to beat the batter's attempted paddle.
It was a risky shot from Rahul, who trudged back to the dugout for a laborious 28-ball 14. His captaincy, particularly in the last few overs of Bangladesh's innings, was sub-par as India had virtually no bowling plans at the death. The stunner he plucked to dismiss Mahmudullah was quite something, though.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Time is running out for Shikhar Dhawan. The 37-year-old racked up another failure on Wednesday, December 7, as he was dismissed for just eight runs in the third over of India's innings.
Dhawan and No. 3 Shreyas Iyer needed to weather the early loss of Virat Kohli's wicket, but the former copped a brute of a delivery from Mustafizur Rahman that leaped off the deck and caused him to spoon a simple catch in the circle.
Dhawan still wears a smile on his face on the field, but he must know that another low score or two could exile him from the side. With the 2023 ODI World Cup coming up, dropping out of the team, even briefly, could spell doom for the veteran batter.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli's numbers in ODI cricket this calendar year don't make for pretty reading. The star batter's average hovers around the 20-run mark and his strike rate is the lowest it has been since his debut year in 2008.
In the second ODI, Kohli was dismissed playing a rather agricultural pull off Ebadot Hossain. The two-paced surface played into the fast bowler's favor as the Indian No. 3 only managed to get an inside edge onto his stumps.
Kohli had an excellent chance to get back amongst the runs in the format, having opened the batting in Rohit Sharma's absence. But he walked back for just five runs, adding to the discourse surrounding his middling ODI returns.