North Sound (Antigua): India are all set to fly to Guyana with a comprehensive 50-run win against Bangladesh in their second Super 8 match at Antigua on Saturday. But before that, they have the onerous task of overcoming the mighty Australians at St Lucia with the latter having played a couple of matches on this ground.
Hardik Pandya, the Man of the Match and the moment, having taken the first wicket and scored the sole 50 of the match on Saturday, was the undisputed monarch and star of the great Indian show.
His innings was the linchpin of India’s commanding total, providing the much-needed impetus and stability. His ability to anchor the innings amid frequent wicket falls and his explosive finish ensured India set a challenging target, showcasing his invaluable contribution to the team’s Super 8 journey.
Cameos by Rohit Sharma who set the tone of the innings with a quickfire 23, a well-earned 37 by Kohli in his long-awaited resurrection, Pant’s audacity which gave India 36 runs and Bangladesh his wicket, a studied quietude by Shivam Dube and meaningful flair by Pandya aided India in putting up the highest ever T20 total at this venue at 196-5.
The story of the first innings was Bangladesh’s fierce performance of the arm which cost India continuous under-50 wickets and the highly consequential over by Tanzim Hasan when he took out Kohli at 37 and Suryakumar Yadav at just six just a ball apart.
The well-knit bowling unit of the Men in Blue allowed only a negligible surge in Bangladesh’s quest to surmount a mountainous total. A few sixes, boundaries and hard effort, however, did not put them anywhere near the road to success, as Jasprit Bumrah’s 13 for 2 wickets, Kuldeep’s squeezers gave him three scalps for just 18 runs, and Pandya’s hard bowled wicket that set up the victory drive for India.
The longest innings that an Indian batter took was 28 balls which Pandya used up to get to his well-paced 50, a move that skipper Sharma said was being “smart with the bat.” With one just 50, India still managed to get 198 which again the skipper said was “how we got to play T20 cricket.”
