Asia Cup – Bangladesh Clinches Thriller, India Falls Short in Super 4 Clash

Colombo, Sri Lanka – September 15, 2023- Cricket fans were treated to a nail-biting encounter at the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, as Bangladesh managed to edge India by just 6 runs in a thrilling Super 4 clash of the Asia Cup. The match unfolded against the backdrop of India already securing their place in the finals by defeating Sri Lanka in their previous match, while Sri Lanka had secured their spot in the final by defeating Pakistan.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first, aiming to test fresh talent in Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Verma, and Suryakumar Yadav. The Indian bowlers delivered commendable performances, with Mohammed Shami taking 2 wickets and Shardul Thakur claiming 3 wickets, while Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Prasidh Krishna each chipped in with 1 wicket. Bangladesh set a target of 266 runs by posting a total of 265 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

In the first innings, Bangladesh’s top order faced a challenging start. Opener Tanzid Hasan scored 13 runs from 12 balls before being bowled out by Shardul Thakur. Opener Liton Das had a brief stay, managing just 0 runs from 2 balls before being dismissed by Mohammed Shami.

Anamul Haque contributed 4 runs from 11 balls before being caught by KL Rahul off Shardul Thakur’s bowling. Captain Shakib-al-Hasan played a crucial innings, scoring 80 runs from 85 balls before being bowled out by Shardul Thakur. Mehidy Hasan added 13 runs from 28 balls before being caught by Rohit Sharma off Axar Patel’s bowling, while Towhid Hridoy made a notable contribution with 54 runs from 81 balls before being caught by Tilak Verma off Mohammed Shami’s bowling.

Shamim Hossain was dismissed lbw by Ravindra Jadeja, scoring just 1 run from 5 balls. Nasum Ahmed was bowled out by Prasidh Krishna, scoring 44 runs from 45 balls. Mahedi Hasan remained unbeaten with 29 runs from 23 balls, and Tanzim Hasan was not out with 14 runs from 8 balls.

In the second innings, India faced a challenging task to chase down the target. However, they fell short and were all out for 259 runs with just one ball remaining. Indian opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by Anamul Haque off Tanzim Sakib’s bowling. Shubhman Gill emerged as the lone warrior for India, scoring a valiant 121 off 133 balls before being caught by Towhid Hridoy and bowled by Mahedi Hasan.

Tilak Verma, who had been given a chance in place of Virat Kohli, couldn’t make a significant impact, managing only 5 runs off 9 balls before being bowled by Tanzim Sakib. KL Rahul contributed 19 runs off 39 balls before being caught by Shamim Hossain and bowled by Mahedi Hasan. Youngster Ishan Kishan scored 5 off 15 balls before being dismissed lbw by Mehidy Hasan. Suryakumar Yadav was bowled by captain Shakib Al Hasan when he had reached 26 runs from 34 balls.

Ravindra Jadeja added 7 runs off 12 balls before being bowled by Mustafizur Rahman. Axar Patel was the top scorer for India in the second innings, making 42 runs off 34 balls before being caught by Tanzid Hasan and bowled by Mustafizur Rahman. After Axar Patel’s dismissal, India’s hopes dwindled, and the remaining wickets fell quickly.

Bangladesh’s bowlers were up to the task, with Mustafizur Rahman claiming 3 wickets, Tanzim Sakib taking 2 wickets on his debut, and Mahedi Hasan also securing 2 wickets. Captain Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan contributed with 1 wicket each.

In the end, the match came down to the wire, nearly going to a last-ball decider. Shakib Al Hasan was rightfully awarded the Player of the Match for his pivotal all-round performance.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that the changes in the lineup were made solely for the purpose of providing rest to key players. With this result, India is set to face Sri Lanka in the final on September 17, 2023, in what promises to be a thrilling clash with the Asia Cup on the line.