Bangladesh started the World Cup bearing the scars of a big defeat. The final phase of their preparation did not go well. Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s team did not stand a chance against India. They failed to put up any resistance and disappointed the expatriate supporters who came from far and wide to the stadium.
Yesterday , at the Nassau County Stadium’s opening match, Bangladesh lost to India by 61 runs. Winning the toss and batting first, India scored 182 runs for 5 wickets. In response, Bangladesh’s innings ended at 121 runs for 9 wickets.
To overcome the target of 182 runs, a good start was essential. Everyone was hoping for something extraordinary from the top order. However, Shanto and Soumya quickly dashed those hopes, causing great embarrassment to the supporters! Bangladesh lost 5 wickets for just 41 runs in 8.2 overs.
It seems the bad times are not ending for Liton Das and Nazmul Hossain Shanto. The Bangladesh captain could not open his account even after facing 6 balls. He was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj. Liton Das, however, managed to score 6 runs from 8 balls before being dismissed by Arshdeep Singh.
Soumya Sarkar was the first to depart, becoming Arshdeep Singh’s first victim without scoring off two balls. Bangladesh lost 3 wickets for just 10 runs in 4 overs.
On a day when the top order crumbled, opener Tanzid Tamim was the only silver lining. He had a good start but could not convert it into a big innings, departing for 17 runs off 18 balls. Towhid Hridoy, who came in at number five, also couldn’t hold on and was out for 13 runs.
When the team was in danger of being all out before even reaching triple digits, at 41 runs for 5 wickets, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad built a resistance. While Mahmudullah was in his element, Shakib seemed unrecognizable. His innings was not characteristic of T20 cricket.
Shakib was out after scoring 28 runs from 34 balls in 18.4 overs. The team fell behind from there, and the possibility of victory ended. Mahmudullah’s innings of 40 runs from 28 balls went in vain as he had to leave the field retired hurt.
Afterward, Rishad Hossain scored 5 runs off 5 balls, and Zakir Ali was out for a golden duck. Bangladesh’s innings ended 61 runs short of the target.
Earlier, despite losing the first wicket in the second over, India had a strong start. The Tigers were cornered during the powerplay. Winning the toss and choosing to bat, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant scored over fifty runs in the first six overs. In the sixth over, Shakib Al Hasan conceded 22 runs.
Mahmudullah dismissed Rohit Sharma in the following over, breaking the 48-run second-wicket partnership of 29 balls with Rishabh Pant. Rohit was out for 23 runs. India lost their first wicket in the second over itself, with Sanju Samson being dismissed by Shariful Islam for just 1 run.
Even after Rohit’s dismissal, the run rate did not slow down. Pant appeared in explosive form. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman scored a fifty in just 32 balls before retiring hurt.
Shivam Dube, who came in at number five, could not make a big score and was out for 14 runs off 16 balls, falling prey to Sheikh Mehidy. However, Suryakumar Yadav kept up the run rate, scoring 31 runs off 18 balls before being dismissed by Tanvir Islam. By then, Hardik Pandya had lit up the scoreboard.
Towards the end, the Indian all-rounder played an unbeaten innings of 40 runs off 23 balls. For Bangladesh, Sheikh Mehidy, Shariful Islam, Tanvir Islam, and Mahmudullah Riyad each took one wicket.
