India vs Bangladesh 2019: Breaking down how Bangladesh secured their first ever T20I victory over India
In light of the recent ban on Shakib Al Hasan, the India vs Bangladesh series seemed to be even less of a competition. However, blunders and heroics in a few key moments turned the game on its head, resulting in Bangladesh's first win against India in T20Is.
How exactly did Bangladesh manage to defeat the mighty Indian team? How did they pull off a feat they had never managed to until now? There were quite a few factors involved.
We all remember the last time India and Bangladesh went head to head in a T20I. It was the final of the Nidahas Trophy, and Bangladesh seemed to be on the verge of victory. Even after Dinesh Karthik's fireworks in the penultimate over, India were left with 5 to get off the final delivery.
Dinesh Karthik was on strike. A super over seemed probable. Incredibly, Dinesh Karthik managed to cream the last ball of the match over covers for a flat six, cementing his place as a solid finisher. Bangladesh had once again failed to go the distance.
The Nidahas Trophy final wasn't the only close match between the two teams. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, India and Bangladesh found themselves competing for a win yet again. What made this match special is not just that India pulled off a heist of a win, but also that it introduced the world to two major talents - Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
Coming off the now-famous 'Bumrah 19th Over', Bangladesh found themselves at 136/6, with 11 runs to win the match. Pandya - then a newcomer on the scene - was entrusted to bowl the final over.
The first three balls of the over cost India nine runs, and seemingly, the match. Bangladesh required two runs from three deliveries.
Pandya banged the fourth ball short, and in that moment, the match turned. Mushfiqur Rahim, having scored eight runs in the last two balls, went for the glory shot. The ball went up in the air and Shikhar Dhawan at mid-wicket didn't put it down.
The next ball resulted in another wicket, courtesy of Ravindra Jadeja's fielding. Bangladesh now required two to win off the final ball. In attempt to steal a run off a bye on the final ball of the match, Bangladesh lost another wicket, and India managed to steal a win.
That brings us to yesterday: the first match of the bilateral series between India and Bangladesh. The stakes were lower this time. The Bangladesh players were on strike until a week before. And three days before the match, their MVP Shakib Al Hasan was banned for not reporting an approach from a bookie.
The Bangladesh team was also missing veterans Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza, and it seemed like a no-contest.
However, India were missing a few star players too. Captain Virat Kohli had been rested and notably, Pandya and Bumrah were both out with back problems.
On a sticky and deceptive Kotla track, India were put in to bat and they posted a total of 148 for 6. It was a fighting total, and the match could go either way.
India claimed their first wicket in the form of Liton Das in the first over, thanks to some disciplined seam bowling by Deepak Chahar. Bangladesh lost their second wicket, Mohammad Naim, to some clever bowling by Yuzvendra Chahal in the 8th over.
Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim then stitched together a healthy partnership of 60 runs, until Sarkar got his stumps destroyed by Khaleel Ahmed in the 17th over. 35 runs were needed off the last 3 overs.
The next over, Rahim was dropped by the usually safe Krunal Pandya. This was his third reprieve, after two missed LBW appeals earlier in the match.
Bangladesh soon found themselves in the 19th over with 22 runs still required. After conceding two runs from the first two balls of the over, Ahmed gave away 16 runs in the last four, with Rahim capitalizing on some wayward bowling.
India were feeling Bumrah's absence.
In the last over, a surprise strategic move was made by interim captain Rohit Sharma. Shivam Dube, the debutant all-rounder filling in for Hardik Pandya, was handed the ball. Could history repeat itself? Could Dube manage to do what Pandya once did?
The new batsman Mahmudullah was on strike, with four runs needed off the final over. The over began with a well bowled dot, followed by a double and then a wide. The scores were level, with four balls to spare.
Dube then bowled a length ball on off and Mahmudullah smashed a magnificent six over wide long off.
Bangladesh had won. History was created. A side that was barely taken seriously had managed to humble a strong, albeit young Indian team.
Who knows, maybe this is a new Bangladesh team, ready to scale new heights.
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