BAN vs IND 2022: 3 reasons why India lost the 1st ODI in Dhaka 

Courtesy of a splendid cameo by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh pulled off an improbable win against India in the first ODI of the three-match series in Dhaka on Sunday, December 4.

With its ebbs and flows, the contest between the two Asian rivals proved to be a fascinating one.

After putting India in to bat first, the Bangladeshi bowlers kept the Indian batters at bay and quickly reduced them to 49/3. KL Rahul then led India to 152/4 by forging a comeback, first with Shreyas Iyer and then with Washington Sundar.

After that, a collapse left India in chaos at 156/8. Rahul persisted but was eventually dismissed as well, as India were cleaned out for 186 in 41.2 overs. While Rahul scored a solid 70-ball 73, Shakib Al Hasan took his fourth ODI five-fer.

At 95/3, the hosts were cruising towards a win and needed just 92 more runs with as many as seven wickets still in hand. However, a batting collapse of their own saw them lose six wickets in just their next 41 runs.

India were on the cusp of a remarkable victory when Mehidy Hasan took the game away from them and took his side home thanks to his match-winning 38 runs off 39 balls.

On that note, let's discuss the top three reasons why India lost the first ODI against Bangladesh on Sunday.

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#3 Not taking their chances in the field

It would be fair to say that Team India are no longer one of the top fielding sides in the world. Barring Virat Kohli's blinder of a catch to dismiss Shakib Al Hasan in the 24th over, the fielding efforts by the Indian team left a lot to be desired.

India's ground fielding wasn't particularly impressive, misfielding on a number of occasions and giving the Tigers easy runs in the process. However, the killer blow came during the 43rd over when India's designated wicketkeeper of the game, KL Rahul, dropped Mehidy Hasan.

After covering a few yards backwards, Rahul circled himself under the ball and dropped what should've been a comfortable catch, despite getting both gloves under it.

On the very next ball, Mehidy Hasan received another respite when his slog bounced just ahead of Washington Sundar at third man. The ball went into the air for a bit and although the all-rounder had enough time to get under it, he stopped himself in the tracks.

While Sundar might have missed the ball in the night sky, had he gone for the catch, it could've proved to be Mehidy Hasan's undoing.

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#2 A lackluster bowling display at the death

Despite having just 187 runs to defend, Indian bowlers did wonderfully well to put the brakes on the Bangladeshi innings right from the start.

Deepak Chahar dismissed Najmul Shanto on the very first ball before Mohammed Siraj bowled tight lines to send Anamul Haque packing. Following a 48-run partnership between Shakib and skipper Litton Das, a batting collapse of saw Bangladesh lose as many as seven wickets in their next 62 runs.

The game was all but over when the hosts were 136-9 and they still required 51 runs in the last 10 overs. India were only one good ball away from clinching the victory. However, that elusive delivery never came off as the Indian pacers faltered in the death overs.

While credit must go to Mehidy Hasan, who showed great vigor and composure, India's bowlers got their planning and execution all wrong as well. They bowled a significant number of deliveries at the center of the pitch, which was duly dispatched by Mehidy Hasan behind the square.

With Siraj completing his quota of overs, all three of Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, and Shardul Thakur failed to come up with any sort of strategy to take that last wicket.

While India's bowling in the first 40 overs kept them in the game, their display in the last 10 overs was substandard, to say the least.

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#1 Poor application from the batting department

Given India's batting is their strongest suit compared to their bowling, it was a day to forget for the Indian batting department in Dhaka.

After being put in to bat first on a pitch where the ball was coming onto the bat nicely, India lost their entire top order within the first 11 overs. All three experienced batters, including Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli, were deceived by the Bangla spinners.

Then came India's most in-form ODI batter, Shreyas Iyer, who looked positive during his 39-ball stay but was undone by his nemesis - a short-pitched delivery. All four all-rounders India played in the game also lacked a proper approach and squandered their chances.

KL Rahul was India's sole knight in shining armor. Had he not been there to lead a recovery with his well-made 73, things could've been even worse for Rohit and Co.