A brilliant half-century from Hardik Pandya and a three-wicket haul from Kuldeep Yadav headlined India’s 50-run win over Bangladesh in their Super 8 fixture in Antigua. The result means that India have a foot in the semifinal at this T20 World Cup and they will be through if Afghanistan fail to beat Australia later in the night.
The difference: India’s muscle with the bat
When Bangladesh opted to bowl first, captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto hoped to keep India to a safe score of “150 to 160”. In response, India muscled away 13 sixes, the most they have hit in a T20 World Cup match. It was five more than Bangladesh hit. More importantly, 10 of India’s 13 sixes came outside the PowerPlay and that made all the difference.
INDIA
PowerPlay: India makes fast start
Phase score: 53/1 (4x4s, 3x6s)
Having asked India to bat first on what looked a pretty good surface, Bangladesh started proceedings with Mahedi Hasan’s offspin and Shakib al Hasan’s left-arm spin. The move seemed to be back-firing when Shakib was taken for 25 runs off the nine balls he bowled, including conceding a 97-metre six to Rohit, but the veteran spinner came back well and accounted for the wicket of the India captain with his tenth delivery and had him caught at extra cover. Virat Kohli, looking good at the crease once again, capped off a productive PowerPlay for India, their highest this edition.
Middle overs: The Tanzim and Pant show
Phase score: 81/3 (5x4s, 5x6s)
When Kohli welcomed leggie Rishad Hossain with a six, it looked like the batter was set for the long haul. But Tanzim Sakib had other ideas. The pacer saw Kohli running down the track and beat him on length, bowling him as a result. Surykumar Yadav fell edging behind in the same over after having opened his account with a six. And suddenly, the pressure was on India to rebuild. It started with Rishabh Pant nurdling around his first 20 runs before laying into Mustafizur Rahman with a couple of fours and a six in the 11th over. Rishad came in for similar punishment but benefited from Pant playing one shot too many and holing out to short third man, falling again to the reverse sweep. But the wicketkeeper-batter had done his job, allowing India to score at 9 runs per over in the middle overs.
Death overs: Pandya and Dube muscle India to 196/5
Phase score: 62/1 (3x4s, 5x6s)
All three sixes that Dube hit were in this phase of the game, setting the tone for India’s strong display in the final five overs. And once he was undone by Rishad and bowled through the gate, Hardik Pandya stepped up and scored a 27-ball fifty, hitting 4 fours and 3 sixes on the way. India’s tally of 13 sixes went past their previous highest tally of 11 in a T20 World Cup match, against England in Durban 2007. Mustafizur was one of the bowlers to bear the brunt of it, and proved expensive with his figures of 0 for 48. In contrast, Tanzim bowled his four overs for 2 for 32.
BANGLADESH
PowerPlay: India keep Bangladesh in check
Phase score: 42/1 (5x4s, 1x6s)
That Bangladesh were left short of India’s tally in the first six overs was down to Jasprit Bumrah’s frugal spell of 2-0-6-0. He could have had a wicket too if Pant had caught Tanzid Hasan behind the stumps but India had the breakthrough they wanted in the over before, thanks to Pandya who took the pace off and had Litton Das caught at deep square leg. Rohit’s ploy to bowl Axar Patel didn’t quite work but India had Bangladesh in check despite their highest opening partnership (35) in this edition.
Middle overs: Kuldeep spins out Bangladesh
Phase score: 66/3 (3x4s, 4x6s)
On a surface with some sharp spin and bounce for the spinners, Kuldeep Yadav proved to be a handful for Bangladesh’s middle order. Not only was he hard to score against but also proved incisive, picking Tanzid Hasan and Towhid Gridoy lbw before getting Shakib caught at cover and finishing with figures of 3 for 19. Only two overs of pace were bowled by India in this phase, both by Pandya, whose two overs saw 22 runs scored. With the spinners, it was a different story. It once again underlined Bangladesh’s struggles against spin at this World Cup; they have now lost 21 wickets to spin in this edition, the most by any team.
Death overs: Pacers wrap it up for India
Phase score: 38/4 (2x4s, 3x6s)
Once the spinners dented Bangladesh in the middle overs, the game was under control for India. Their pacers then came back and polished off the game for them. Bumrah, coming back to bowl his second spell, picked Nazmul Hossain Shanto with his third delivery and then returned for his final over to cut short Rishad’s cameo at 24 off 10. Arshdeep added the wickets of Jaker Ali and Mahmudullah as Bangladesh failed to even get past 150 after opting to chase.
Brief Scores: India 196/5 (Pandya 50*, Pant 36; Sakib 2-32, Rishad 2-43) beat Bangladesh 146/8 (Shanto 40; Kuldeep 3-19, Bumrah 2-13) by 50 runs
What next?
Both teams have only a day’s break before they play their final Super 8 matches. India take on Australia in St Lucia whereas Bangladesh play Afghanistan in St Vincent.
