Bangladesh win maiden T20I against India
Bangladesh’s Tigers finally got their first ever T20I match win against India in the first match of the three-match series at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday night.
Tiger Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad crossed the target of 149 spearing three balls and won the match by seven wickets.
Mahmudullah hit a huge sixer on long on while Bangladesh needed only one run in remaining four balls to win.
Mushfiqur Rahim led his team to chase down the total with three balls to spare. The Bangladesh wicketkeeper, who scored 60 off 43 with eight fours and one six, was adjudged player of the match.
In 19th over, Bangladesh were need 22 runs from 12 balls. In the first two balls Mahmudullah and Mushfiq took only two runs later, little tiger Mushfiqur Rahim knocked four consecutive boundaries in the last four balls which ensured Bangladesh’s victory.
Mushfiq, who seemed to be in mission to bury down the ICC World T20 stigma that was labeled against him for failing to take the team over the rope in Bangalore, made no such mistake to create history in Delhi with his match winning knock.
Mushfiq demonstrated a superlative batting display to make sure that the host does not get the chance to crawl back in company of Soumya that literally sealed the game for them.
Debutant opener Naeem Sheikh (26) and Soumya Sarkar (39) gave them a perfect platform as they added 46 runs for the second wicket.
The two put the pressure back on the host with the flurry of shots before Naeem was removed by Chahal.
After Naeem was departed, Mushfiq along with Soumya added 60 runs for the third wicket partnership before the left-hander dismissed making 39 runs.
While Bangladesh lost the match in quite a similar situation in Bangalore, it was not the case this time round as Mushfiq and Mahmudullah (15 notout) looked determined a similar mistake that they made in the World T20 final.
Mushfiq was on his sublime best, making the unbeaten 43-ball 60 to give the tourist 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, Bangladeshi bowlers restricted Indian batters to 148 runs showing disciplined bowling performance.
Bangladeshi fast bowler Shafiul Islam and newcomer leg spinner Aminul Islam helped Bangladesh Side to wrap Team India in a moderate score by picking up two wickets each.
India lost two early wickets including skipper Rohit Sharma who was trapped leg before wicket for nine off paceman Shafiul Islam in the first over of the innings.
Aminul then struck twice to rattle the opposition top-order with KL Rahul, who made 15, and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 22, letting go of their starts.
Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan made 41 with three sixes but returned to the pavilion after being run out as India slumped further.
Krunal Pandya, 15 not out, and Washington Sundar, unbeaten on 14, played useful cameos to help the hosts get 30 runs from the last 12 deliveries.
Late hits from Washington and Krunal helped India to get the momentum and they will fight with the bowl to trouble Bangladeshi batsman.
Dhawan was the top-scorer with 41 but consumed 42 balls for it. The Bangladesh bowlers used the variations well to make the run-scoring difficult.
"We came here, practiced for three days, adjusted to the conditions and applied," Afif says after the first half of the match, adding that: "149 is a chaseable score. If we start well, we should be able to chase it."
India earlier won all the eight T20 matches against Bangladesh, but now will face the tourist to save the series when the two sides will meet in the series deciding match at Rajkot on November 7.
