Rohit Sharma pulled India out of early trouble and laid a solid foundation for the team with his 10th T20I fifty
What began as a rollicking start for hosts Bangladesh turned pretty dismal soon. The architect of the change was a brilliant 83 from Rohit Sharma, who rescued India from a precarious 42 for 3 to end up with 166. With the tide turned, India didn't let slip as the bowlers put in a collectively good show to help defeat Bangladesh by 54 runs.
The hosts had opted to bowl considering the rain threat to the match. It had rained earlier in the day with more predicted during the match timings. The call seemed to be a good one with the pitch being a nippy one and helping the pace-heavy Bangladesh attack.
When India's top-order fell in quick succession, it was reminiscent of the Pune pitch (against Sri Lanka) that saw India's batting unit fold for just 101 recently. Al Amin Hossain got the first breakthrough as he got one to nip in and broke through Dhawan's prod.
With the runs not coming at a quick clip, Virat kohli did not show the patience that he talked about in the pre-match conference on Tuesday. Coming back after missing the Sri Lanka series, clearly he was quite eager to step things up. A few slashes went past the outside edge when he tried going after Mustafizur Rehman.
When he did connect one, off Mortaza, he found mid off. Cue for delirium in the stands (and in the press box!). When Suresh Raina was castled by Mahmudullah soon after, there was nothing short of pandemonium all around. However, it turned out to be a short-lived joy.
In Pune, the Indian batsmen paid the price for not switching down gears. It was all attack and quick demise. In Dhaka, Rohit's presence made the difference. Soon after being dropped on 21 by Shakib Al Hasan, Rohit hit Taskin for a couple of fours and a six in the same over. It was the first time in the innings that Bangladesh seemed to be losing the grip. They never managed to get it back afterwards.
Rohit's gem of an innings flourished after he went through unscathed in the first phase against the pacers. It was a period of play that saw Mortaza wresting control by mixing his four pacers around expertly. It was an innings that showcased his maturity as much as his talent. It was not an easy track to bat on and Bangladesh were bowling to their fields. Yet, he repeatedly managed to find the boundaries with strokes that you don't find him playing often.
The late cut and the sweep were his most productive shots and he motored onto his fifty amidst deafening silence. Yuvraj Singh couldn't do much after getting the batting time that many sought for him. He managed a run-a-ball 15 before holing out to deep mid wicket but had played a small part in a good stand with Rohit.
If that partnership restored parity, Hardik Pandya's bluster tilted the balance firmly in India's favour. Rohit took the backseat again when Hardik Pandya hacked and mauled his way to a brutal 31 off 18 balls, while also taking apart Mustafizur Rehman in the process. Rohit held on till the last over of the innings and was the base around which India racked up the total.
Bangladesh were expected to pose a stiff challenge in the chase but it simply never came about. Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah struck yet again with the new ball, while also preventing the boundaries. Having reduced Bangladesh to 15 for 2, India's bowlers proceeded to employ the choke. Only 35 came in the next six overs with R Ashwin and Pandya performing their roles credibly.
Ashwin also revelled with his use of the sliding arm-ball against the left-hander and eventually bagged Imrul Kayes after repeatedly going past the bat.
The real body blow for Bangladesh was however the run-out of Shakib in the 13th over. With the asking rate rising rapidly, Shakib was their last real hope of sparking a comeback. But with him dismissed after a mix-up with Sabbir Rehman (44), there was no turnaround. The rest went through the motions - trying to hit out but failing to do so. Batsman after batsman failed to cope up with the mounting pressure and India cruised to a convincing 45-run in the tournament opener.
A lot of boxes ticked for India while Bangladesh were left with the same questions over their failures in this format.
Brief scores: India 166 for 6 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 83, Hardik Pandya 31; Al-Amin Hossain 3-37) beat Bangladesh121 for 7 in 20 overs (Sabbir Rahman 44; Ashish Nehra 3-23) by 45 runs
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