World Cup 2019: Four things that might have gone unnoticed from India vs Bangladesh match
The 40th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 concluded with India beating Bangladesh by 28 runs. By virtue of this victory, India progressed to the semifinal stage whereas Bangladesh now stand eliminated. On winning the toss, Indian captain Virat Kohli elected to bat first on a pitch which had little to no help for the bowlers. The Indian openers also justified their captain's decision as they shared a fantastic partnership of 180 runs.
Rohit Sharma completed his 26th ODI hundred, fourth in this World Cup, while KL Rahul ably supported him with a 92-ball 77. However, India lost its steam towards the end, though Rishabh Pant's 41-ball 48 blitz and Dhoni's 33-ball 35 helped India post a target of 315.
Chasing the target against a brilliant Indian bowling attack was going to be difficult and the Bangladeshi openers started cautiously, thus negating the new-ball threat posed by Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. At times, the Bangladesh batsmen legitimately threatened to upset the Indian applecart but India always remained the favorites to claim victory.
Despite a lot of fight, the Bangladeshis kept losing wickets at regular intervals that proved decisive in the end. While Shakib top-scored with a 74-ball-66, hos team fell short of by 28 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with figures of 10-1-55-4.
Now, let's have a look at four things that might have gone unnoticed from this match.
#1. India scored their highest first power-play score in this WC
After facing severe criticism from critics over their slow scoring during the first power play, the Indian openers showed intent right from the first ball. The duo showed their attacking instincts as India raced to 69 for no loss in 10 overs - their highest in this World Cup. The Indian openers hit seven fours and two sixes during this phase.
Also read – Most centuries in world cup