Rahman finished with figures of 5-50 off 9.2 overs on debut
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Bangladesh debutant Mustafizur Rahman had a debut to remember as he not only claimed a five-wicket haul, but helped his side shock India by 79 runs in Mirpur.
However, Rahman had some help from Bangladesh’s batting department as the opening duo of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, along with all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, all scored half-centuries.
But, India opener Rohit Sharma deserves some credit as he made a valiant 63.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza would have been thrilled with his decision to bat first as Iqbal and Sarkar put India on the back foot with a 102-run partnership, during which Sarkar brought up his half-century, before he was run out by Suresh Raina.
Sarkar’s entertaining knock of 54 came off 40 balls and included eight boundaries and a six.
Sarkar raises his bat upon reaching his half-century
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Just a short while after Sarkar’s dismissal, the heavens parted and the players had to be ushered off the field.
Luckily, play resumed after an hour, but it was India who benefited from the delay as they got rid of Iqbal for 60 before dismissing debutant Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim cheaply.
Iqbal helped Bangladesh get off to a strong start
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With Bangladesh having lost four wickets for 44 runs, Al Hasan and Sabbir Rahman stemmed the bleeding with an 83-run partnership before Rahman was clean bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for 41.
Al Hasan went on to score 52 off 68 balls, which included three boundaries, before he was caught by Jadeja at backward point off the bowling of Umesh Yadav.
Al Hasan hit three boundaries during his knock of 52
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Following Al Hasan’s dismissal, Bangladesh’s lower order collapsed and they were ultimately bowled out for 307.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar snapped up two wickets apiece and Jadeja and Mohit Sharma chipped in with one wicket each.
Chasing 308 to win, India got off to a brilliant start as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan put together a 95-run partnership, during which Sharma registered his half-century, before Dhawan was caught behind off the bowling of Taskin Ahmed for 30.
Dhawan’s wicket triggered a massive collapse for India as they lost Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in quick succession.
Sharma made a gutsy 63
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With India struggling to stay above the surface, Raina and Jadeja came to the rescue with a 60-run partnership before Raina was clean bowled by Mustafizur Rahman for 40.
All of Raina and Jadeja’s hard work went in vain following Raina’s dismissal as India went from 188/6 to being bowled out for 228.
Mustafizur Rahman was easily the most successful bowler as he registered his maiden five-wicket haul, while Ahmed and Al Hasan took two wickets each and Mortaza claimed one.
Dhoni was disgusted with his side’s performance, and said: “Yes it was disappointing. But Bangladesh played some really good cricket as a team. Right from the first ball they took our bowlers on. The rain break helped us. It looked like they would score more than 330 but we restricted them to 300, but the batting didn’t turn up the way we wanted it to. The spinners bowled well, Raina’s contribution was important, but disappointed with the way the fast bowlers bowled.
“The Bangladesh batsmen played the fast bowlers well. What I am was particularly impressed with how subtly they changed their pace. They didn’t bowl 140 and then 110, but took it down marginally. They did well in the World Cup because of their fast bowlers so we were not surprised they relied on fast bowlers tonight. And they have Shakib who can bowl any time they need him. We will go to the drawing board. Not just batters. Overall we need to sketch a new plan to see what the best way to beat Bangladesh is.”
Mortaza was delighted to have taken a 1-0 lead in the series, and said: “Definitely delighted. Can’t ask for more. Mustafizur was not a surprise for us. We know he can destroy any batsman. It was a brilliant start from Tamim and Soumya. We lost a bit of momentum with the rain, but Rahman and Shakib did it for us. Yes it was a bit of a risk to play four quicks, but I trusted my boys. Maybe we were 15-20 short, but 300 is a big ask for anybody.”
Mustafizur Rahman was named Man of the Match, and said: “I wanted to perform well on debut. I know only a few [who] have taken five on debut, but all I wanted was to do well against India.”