Scorecards seldom tell the full story. That was certainly the case here on Thursday as India eased to a 109-run victory in their World Cup quarter-final against Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma’s magisterial 126-ball 137 and fiery spells from Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami will garner the headlines, but for more than a quarter of this match, Bangladesh were in the ascendancy.
At halfway, India were 99 for 2 and struggling, with Virat Kohli – their gun batsman – already back in the pavilion. But two umpiring decisions, one marginal and the other controversial, appeared to deflate Bangladesh as India feasted to the tune of 147 runs in the final 15 overs. Rohit and Suresh Raina added 122 in 95 balls and, though no one else crossed 30, a late cameo from Ravindra Jadeja was enough to push India past 300, a total that had never been chased successfully at the venue.
India were 147 for 3, and Raina on 10, when Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh captain, thudded one into his pads. Ian Gould did not respond to the appeal, and Mashrafe immediately signalled for the review. That showed the ball pitching a seam’s width outside leg. Raina went on to 65 from 57 balls, playing some especially impudent strokes behind square on the legside.
The score had moved on to 196 when Rubel Hossain – who had Kohli caught behind in an outstanding first spell of 6-0-14-1 – bowled a full toss that Rohit could only loft awkwardly to deep midwicket. Both Gould and Aleem Dar, standing at square leg, were quick to call no-ball, though subsequent replays showed that it was not. Rohit, on 90 at the time, would add a further 47 in 24 balls, including a six over long-on off Rubel that riffed on his pain.
Bangladesh were also not guilty of testing Raina enough on a pitch that afforded the quicks plenty of bounce. He was into his 40s by the time he got a short-pitched delivery. Rohit, who plays the pull with some authority, did get some, and one from Taskin Ahmed was sent soaring over midwicket for six, one of the three he hit in addition to 14 fours.
He and Shikhar Dhawan, who made a subdued 30, had added 75 off 99 balls to give India an excellent platform, but with Rubel and the slow bowlers showing real control, the run-rate slowed to a crawl. Raina, a busy, inventive player who now averages more than 50 in Indian wins, was the catalyst for the acceleration, smacking Mashrafe for two fours in the first over of the batting power play, before lofting Shakib Al Hasan for six.
A seven-minute break for rain was followed by the no-ball that wasn’t, and seamless Indian acceleration. Rohit needed 108 balls for his hundred and, though Taskin yorked him with three overs still to be bowled, Jadeja ensured that India didn’t lose any impetus.
Tamim Iqbal tried to do the same for Bangladesh at the start of the chase, taking three fours off a Shami over. But Yadav at the other end was a different proposition, and a delivery that left him was edged behind for MS Dhoni to take a low catch. Soumya Sarkar played the next ball behind point and then seemed to pause to admire his work as Imrul Kayes charged down the pitch. Jadeja’s throw to Yadav was unerring.
Mahmudullah, who came in to the game after centuries against England and New Zealand, added 40 with Sarkar, even as they fell steadily behind the required rate. Shami, who had gone for 18 in his first two overs, then returned to land two blows. Dhawan took a magnificent catch at fine leg to dismiss Mahmudullah, lobbing the ball up and stepping over the rope before coming back into the field to gather. Sarkar then steered one off the face for Dhoni to take an excellent tumbling catch to his left as Bangladesh slipped to 90 for four.
Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim, two of the batting heroes when India were beaten in 2007, were peripheral this time, and India wrapped things up with something to spare. Yadav, who was a constant threat with his pace and hostility, finished with four for 31 as India bowled the opposition out for a seventh straight match. “Everyone has seen what happened in the middle,” said a despondent Mashrafe when asked about the no-ball call that went in Rohit’s favour. “I don’t want to say anything more.”
Dhoni added: “There was something on offer for fast bowlers. Rohit kept himself very calm.Raina is a natural strokemaker. It’s good to have someone like him at No5. How they took the game forward was crucial. One more wicket at that point, and we might have ended up with 250.” The beaten Bangladeshis will be thinking exactly the same thing.
