Nidahas Trophy 2018, Bangladesh vs India, 5th T20I: Hits and Misses

The Indian skipper is back amongst the runs
The Indian skipper is back amongst the runs

Rohit Sharma and Co. raced to a 17-run victory over Bangladesh in the fifth game of the Nidahas Trophy at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday (March 14).

After being put in bat first, India finished with a total of 176-3 at the end of their innings. In reply, Mahmudullah's team could manage just 159-6 in their quota of 20 overs.

The Men in Blue are now in a commanding position in the tri-series, having already qualified for the final of the same. It will be interesting to see whether Bangladesh can bounce back from this setback to defeat the hosts, Sri Lanka, for the second consecutive time on Friday.

Here are the hits and misses from India's third victory in the tournament.


#5 Hit: Rohit Sharma

The current Indian skipper is a special cricketer. When he fails, his failure will extend for three to four innings. However, when he does settle in, he scores an incredible and impeccable knock immediately after his bad patch.

He does not take time to get the timing right, he does not need space to middle the ball effortlessly.

His effort against Bangladesh at the Premadasa Stadium was one such coming-into-his-own innings for Sharma. It was a vintage knock for the Indian opener, who notched up his 40 runs with run-a-ball efficiency before going all guns blazing in the next few overs. Eventually, he ended up with 89 runs off 61 deliveries in a knock that included 5 fours and 5 massive sixes.

The Mumbaikar's captaincy has also been extremely refreshing throughout this series and deserves commendation. He persisted with Washington Sundar in the second innings of the game and gave him the third over, which in turn, led to a massive wicket for the Men in Blue.

#4 Miss: Abu Hider

The 22-year-old struggled on the day
The 22-year-old struggled on the day

Cricket is a cruel game.

This left-arm bowler from Bangladesh put up a substantial effort in his first three overs and gave away just 22 runs in 18 deliveries. However, when he was brought back into the attack in the death overs of the Indian innings, he was taken apart by the hard-hitting duo of Sharma and Suresh Raina.

He bowled the 18th over of the innings and was spanked for three sixes in the same. The 22-year-old ended up leaking 21 runs in that over.

Ultimately, Hider finished with unfortunate figures of none for 43 in his four-over spell.

#3 Hit: Suresh Raina

Raina has made a spirited comeback to the national side
Raina has made a spirited comeback to the national side

The left-handed batsman received a call back to the Indian team for their T20 series against South Africa last month. Since then, he has played some dynamic and thrilling knocks at the top of the order.

Against Bangladesh, he took eight deliveries to get his eye in. After that, Raina came into his own and started slamming the bowling attack to all parts of the ground. He stitched a positive partnership with Sharma for the second wicket and played a vital role in taking India to a substantial total.

It may be time for the 30-year-old to be reconsidered for the Indian ODI setup now.

#2 Miss: Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladesh's bowling spearhead couldn't make an impact in this game
Bangladesh's bowling spearhead couldn't make an impact in this game

Whenever Bangladesh walk on to the field in the shortest format of the game, they rely heavily on the fast-bowling services of this 22-year-old. He brings the edge to their bowling attack and is a vital component to their success in T20 cricket.

However, Rahman could not step up today and failed to draw blood against the venerated Indian batting lineup. Not only did he remain wicketless, but also ended up bowling at an expensive economy of 9.5 runs per over.

His figures for the game read none for 38 in 4 overs. The left-arm pacer will be disappointed with those numbers and will look to overturn this effort against Sri Lanka on Friday.

#1 Hit: Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar has taken giant strides in this series
Washington Sundar has taken giant strides in this series

This extremely talented spinner from India is making waves in international cricket with his performance in this series. He has been used in the powerplay overs consistently by Sharma, and the tall off-break bowler has delivered seamlessly almost every time the skipper turned has turned to him for a wicket.

Against Bangladesh, he put up a classy bowling display. In his no-nonsense effort, he dismissed the top three batsmen of the Bangladesh unit in his first three overs.

One of the scalps of the 18-year-old was the perilous-looking Tamim Iqbal. The wicket of the left-handed batsman swung the momentum violently in India's favour.

Note: Consolidatory mention for Mushfiqur Rahim, who has notched up back to back half-centuries in the series so far. In a solitary batting effort for Bangladesh, he scored 72 runs off just 55 deliveries and remained unbeaten.

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