Men's ODI WC: India fight back to restrict Bangladesh to 256/8 after Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan hit fifties

Pune: Bowling in tandem, spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav helped India fight back and restrict Bangladesh to 256/8 in 50 overs after openers Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan struck well-compiled half-centuries in Match 17 of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday.

Jadeja (2-38 off 10) and Yadav (1-47) sent back the two set batters and halted Bangladesh in their tracks by triggering a middle-order collapse. Bangladesh from 110/1 in the 20th over could manage a modest score after electing to bat first on a flat wicket that was expected to help their batters regain their form.

But the World Cup trend of middle-order collapses continued as Bangladesh could manage only 126/5 in the 30 overs between 11 to 40. They managed to reach a decent score thanks to a 36-ball 46 by Mahmudullah, who helped them score 67/3 in the last 10 overs.

For India, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Siraj came back well in the death overs to claim two wickets apiece though the latter was a tad expensive at 2-60 off his 10 overs.

However, the major concern for India in the match was the ankle injury suffered by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who managed to bowl only three deliveries before he twisted his ankle trying to field in his follow-through.

Bangladesh were off to a good start thanks to half-centuries by openers Das (66 -- 82 balls, 7x4) and Hasan (51 0ff 43, 5x4, 3x6). However, they failed to capitalise on the platform the two openers provided.

With a flat pitch not helping the bowlers much, Das and Hasan negotiated the first five overs cautiously before wading into Siraj with Das hitting him for two fours in the sixth over, the first one off a short and wide delivery and then walking walking across the stumps to whip a length delivery on the off through the midwicket.

PANDYA INJURED

In the next over, Tanzid lifted Bumrah, who used his experience to trouble the batters, for a six as they set themselves to exploit the Power-play overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma brought in Hardik Pandya as the first change but that did not help as the all-rounder lasted only three deliveries, falling heavily while trying to field in his follow-through as Das struck him for back-to-back boundaries. Pandya was taken for scans and it was clear he would not play any further role during Bangladesh's innings.

Das and Tanzid continued to flourish, bringing up Bangladesh's fifty in 9.2 overs as Tanzid hammered Shardul Thakur for two sixes and a four in three successive deliveries in his first over, racing to his half-century in 41 deliveries, hitting five fours and three sixes.

India made their first breakthrough when Kuldeep Yadav trapped Tanzid Hasan lbw for 51, getting a flat and fast delivery to straighten as the Bangladeshi batter swept across the line. But Tanzid and Litton Das had by then done their job as they put on 93 runs for the opening wicket.

Stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (8) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (3) did not last long, Shanto was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Jadeja while Miraz edged behind for KL Rahul to pick up a stunned off Siraj as Bangladesh slumped to 129/3 at the halfway mark.

And when Litton Das tried to hit Jadeja out of the ground, India's comeback was complete as Bangladesh slumped to 137/4. Towhid Hridoy tried to his Shardul Thakur off the ground but instead lobbed an easy catch to Shubman Gill off a cross-seam delivery banged on off-stump that bounced a bit. Bangladesh had half of their side back in the pavilion with only 179 runs on the board in the 38th over.

Keeper Mushfiqur Rahim tried to repair the innings with a 46-ball 38 (1x4, 1x6) but his attempt ended when he tried to cut a wide one from Bumrah and Jadeja plucked a brilliant catch flying parallel to the ground at backward point. From 201/6 in the 43rd over, Bangladesh could manage to reach the score they did thanks to a superb rearguard innings by Mahmudullah, who struck a 36-ball 46 with three fours and two sixes before being castled by Bumrah with a superb yorker in the final over.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 256/8 in 50 overs (Tanzid Hasan 51, Litton Das 66, Mushfiqur Rahim 38, Mahmudullah 48; Ravindra Jadeja 2-37, Jasprit Bumrah 2-41, Mohd Siraj 2-60) against India.