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29 March 2024

India thrash Bangladesh to book semifinal berth

Published
By Cricket Correspondent and Agencies

Defending champions India ended battling Bangladesh's World Cup with a crushing 109-run win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to power into semi-finals on Thursday.

The two-time champions stretched their unbeaten tournament run to seven wins and will now face either co-hosts Australia or Pakistan in Sydney on March 26.

Opener Rohit Sharma top-scored with 137 off 126 balls and Suresh Raina hit a rapid-fire 65 from 57 balls to rescue India from early trouble in a 122-run stand that left Bangladesh facing a challenging target of 303.

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The Indians, who were struggling at 115 for three, wriggled free to reach 302 for six after winning the toss on a flat pitch and always had Bangladesh struggling under lights in front of 51,552 fans.

No side has made more than 300 batting second to win a one-day international at the MCG.

Rohit blasted his seventh ODI century and had a big break on 90 when he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Rubel Hossain, only for umpire Ian Gould to signal a no-ball for what appeared to be a legitimate waist-high delivery.

"I'm glad we eventually posted a good total," said Rohit. "It was important for me to stay as long as I could as we lost a couple of wickets in the middle."

But right-hander Rohit relished his controversial reprieve to lash out in the final overs.

Rohit was finally bowled by a Taskin Ahmed yorker in the 47th over, finishing with 14 fours and three sixes.

Raina recovery

Bangladesh, playing in their first World Cup quarter-final, started well in the field before Raina followed up his unbeaten 110 in India's six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in their concluding pool game last weekend with another free-scoring knock.

Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan dawdled through the opening hour's play before Tigers' all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan struck with his third ball to have Dhawan stumped for 30 off 50 balls.

Key batsman Virat Kohli lasted only eight balls before he needlessly flashed at a wide Rubel delivery and was caught behind for three.

India had another setback when Ajinkya Rahane lofted a drive to Shakib at mid-off on the edge of the circle for 19 off Taskin, leaving the favourites struggling at 115 for three in the 28th over.

But Raina and Rohit upped the tempo and Bangladesh's fielding became ragged under pressure before Raina skied Mashrafe Mortaza to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out for just six to give Taskin his third wicket but Ravindra Jadeja's 23 not out off 10 balls helped see India past 300.
Bangladesh lost both openers in the space of two balls in seventh over, one in a dreadful mix-up that led to a run out at the non-striker's end.

Tamim Iqbal edged Umesh Yadav to wicket-keeper Dhoni for 25 and next ball a mix-up between ball-watching Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes led to Imrul's run out for five after rapier fielding from Jadeja at short backward square.

Dhawan juggled a catch and just stayed inside the field with nimble footwork to dismiss Mohammad Mahmudullah on the boundary rope for 21 to leave Bangladesh 73 for three in the 17th over.

Mohammed Shami claimed his second wicket off a superb diving catch by Dhoni to dismiss Soumya Sarkar for 29 leaving Bangladesh with it all to do at 90 for four.

Bangladesh lost Shakib for just 10 to a safe catch by Shami at short third man off Jadeja, leaving them 104 for five in the 29th over as the match petered out in the face of India's superiority.

Nasir Hossain topscored with 35 off 34 balls down the order and Yadav finished with four for 31.

Scoreboard:

India

R. Sharma b Taskin 137
S. Dhawan st Mushfiqur b Shakib 30
V. Kohli c Mushfiqur b Rubel 3
A. Rahane c Shakib b Taskin 19
S. Raina c Mushfiqur b Mortaza 65
MS Dhoni c Nasir b Taskin 6
R. Jadeja not out 23
R. Ashwin not out 3
Extras (b4, lb7, w3, nb2) 16
Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 302
Did not bat: M Shami, M Sharma, U Yadav
Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Shawan), 2-79 (Kohli), 3-115 (Rahane), 4-237 (Raina), 5-273 (Rohit), 6-296 (Dhoni)
Bowling: Mortaza 10-0-69-1 (1nb); Taskin 10-0-69-3 (1w); Nasir 9-0-35-0 (1w); Mahmudullah 1-0-4-0; Rubel 10-0-56-1 (1w, 1nb); Shakib 10-0-58-1

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal c Dhoni b Yadav 25
Imrul Kayes run out (Jadeja/Yadav) 5
Soumya Sarkar c Dhoni b Shami 29
Mohammad Mahmudulla c Dhawan b Shami 21
Shakib Al Hasan c Shami b Jadeja 10
Mushfiqur Rahim c Dhoni b Yadav 27
Sabbir Rahman c Shami b Yadav 30
Nasir Hossain c Ashwin b Jadeja 35
Mashrafe Mortaza c Dhoni b Mohit 1
Rubel Hossain c Ashwin b Yadav 0
Taskin Ahmed not out 0
Extras (b1, lb1, w8) 10
Total (all out, 45 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Tamim), 2-33 (Imrul), 3-73 (Mahmudullah), 4-90 (Sarkar), 5-104 (Shakib), 6-139 (Mushifiqur), 7-189 (Nasir), 8-192 (Mortaza), 9-193 (Rubel), 10-193 (Sabbir)
Bowling: Yadav 9-1-31-4 (1w); Shami 8-1-37-2 (4w); Mohit Sharma 7-0-36-1 (1w); Ashwin 10-1-30-0 (1w); Raina 3-1-15-0; Jadeja 8-0-42-2 (1w)

Result: India won by 109 runs

Toss: India
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

 


India innings

 

Rohit Sharma, aided by a contentious decision that gave him a second life, scored his first World Cup hundred on Thursday to help the defending world champions India post a daunting total of 302 for six in their quarter-final against Bangladesh.

Rohit was caught in the deep when he was on 90 but was allowed to keep batting when the umpires ruled that Rubel Hossain's delivery was above waist-height and therefore a no-ball, although television replays suggested it was a fair delivery.

Rohit had initially been forced to abandon his normal cavalier approach as his team mates struggled to score quickly on a windy afternoon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but exploded later in the innings.

While Suresh Raina (65) was the only other batsman to make a significant contribution at a rapid strike-rate, Rohit batted for 47 overs to make 137 off 126 balls, highlighted by 14 boundaries and three sixes.

For a man who scored a world record 264 last year, it was almost sluggish going by his normal standards but no less crucial in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the World Cup.

Of the three matches already played at the sprawling MCG during this tournament, the team batting first has scored over 300 runs and won each time and Bangladesh now face a formidable challenge to break that sequence.

The MCG can be an intimidating bear-pit of a stadium and India opted to bat first in front of their fanatical supporters, and got off to a flying start, racing past 50 inside the first 10 overs.

Bangladesh, appearing in their first World Cup quarter-final, managed to put the brakes on India's scoring after the fielding restrictions were lifted and they brought on their spinners.

From the end of the 10th over till the start of the 35th over, India added just 104 runs for the loss of three wickets.

Shikhar Dhawan was the first Indian batsman to go, stumped for 30, and he was quickly followed by Virat Kohli, who was caught behind for three after a reckless slash at a wide delivery.

When Ajinkya Rahane departed for 19 in the 28th over, the world champions were suddenly looking under pressure and Bangladesh the team with all the momentum.

But cricket is a game where things can turn on the smallest of margins and India got two big breaks that proved decisive.

Raina survived a confident appeal for lbw when he was on 10 then Rohit got a massive let-off 10 runs short of his century when he holed out at mid-wicket.

The pair put on 122 for the fourth wicket as Bangladesh began to lose their way in the field.

Raina threw his wicket away in the 44th over when he skied a catch behind then Rohit joined him after he was bowled by Taskin Ahmed but their efforts left India in a strong position to join South Africa as the second team in the semi-finals.