In a thrilling ICC World Cup contest played at Pune, India managed to restrict Bangladesh to 256 runs, despite a flying start by the Bangladeshi openers. The match saw a dramatic turn of events as Indian spin bowlers made a significant impact during the middle overs.
Bangladesh, having won the toss, decided to bat first. Their opening pair, Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das, set the tone with a solid start, scoring 92 runs without losing a wicket in the first 15 overs, maintaining a run rate of over 6. Their partnership reached 93 runs in just 14.4 overs.
However, the Indian bowlers found their rhythm, with Kuldeep Yadav taking Tanzid’s wicket when he was at 51 runs, after facing 43 balls. Litton Das continued his fine form and reached his half-century. Nevertheless, India managed to break through with quick wickets as number three batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto was dismissed by Jadeja for 8, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz was removed by Siraj for 3 runs.
At this point, Litton Das was also dismissed after scoring 66 runs, and Bangladesh found themselves at 137 for 4 in the 28th over, which slowed down their run rate. Subsequent quick wickets further hampered their batting effort, with Mushfiqur Rahim and Towhid Hridoy adding some stability. However, Towhid was removed by Thakur in the 38th over after scoring 16 runs. Mahmudullah joined Mushfiqur and contributed to pushing the score ahead.
Mushfiqur added 38 crucial runs before getting out in the 43rd over, and he was replaced by number 8 batsman Nasum Ahmad. But Nasum was quickly removed by Siraj, scoring 14 runs. At that point, Bangladesh was at 233 for 7 in 45.5 overs. Mahmudullah managed to push the innings forward, scoring an important 46 runs off 36 balls. However, Bumrah bowled him in the last over. In 50 overs, Bangladesh reached a total of 256 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
Jadeja was the most successful bowler for India, taking 2 wickets while conceding 38 runs in his 10 overs. Siraj and Bumrah also claimed two wickets each, while Thakur and Kuldeep took one wicket apiece.
