| ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Birmingham |
| India 314-9 (50 overs): Rohit 104, Mustafizur 5-59 |
| Bangladesh 286 (48 overs): Shakib 66, Bumrah 4-55 |
| India won by 28 runs |
| Player of the Match: Rohit Sharma (India) |
India defeated spirited Bangladesh by 28 runs to register semi-final spot. They are the second team to confirm a semi-final spot beside Australia and loss eliminated Bangladesh from the tournament . Three teams England, New Zealand, and Pakistan are in contention for the remaining two slots.
India coming to this match after their defeat to England on Sunday, win on Bangladesh would solidify their semi-final spot in the tournament. For Bangladesh, this one is a must win the game to stay in contention for a semi-final spot. Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first.
India innings
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hit the highest opening partnership of the tournament, a fine 180, India ran out of steam to post a disappointing 314. Rohit Sharma (104 from 92 balls) scored a tournament-leading fourth century and second century in as many matches. Rahul (77 from 92 balls) provided required stability at the top.
Middle order trouble continues for India ?
Indian middle order is struggling to make an impact with the bat so far in this tournament and it continued in this match also as they lost 9 wickets for just 134 runs. Kholi (26 from 27 balls) and Pant (48 from 41 balls) failed to convert starts into a good score. Dinesh Karthik disappointed in his first outing of this world cup with just 8 runs. Dhoni faced a lot of heat for not hitting boundaries in the closing stages of the previous match against England, but he managed 35 runs from 33 balls to help India to reach 319/9 in 50 overs.
Bangladesh Chase in a must win match
After restricting India to 319, Bangladesh would have started their chase in the optimistic mood – especially as they chased down 322 in barely 41 overs to beat West Indies at Taunton.
Tamim, keen to make up for his costly drop, looked in great form early on, smacking three fours in the first three overs but India had already put the brakes on by the time he chopped on in the 10th over.
Bangladesh were never able to keep up with the required run rate and lost wickets at a regular rate to ease tension among the largely India-supporting crowd.
Shakib scored a half-century for the sixth time in the tournament – matching little master Sachin Tendulkar feat, who scored seven half-centuries in the 2003 edition – but he was one of three victims for Hardik Pandya when he chipped a slower ball to Dinesh Karthik for 66.
The lower order kept life interesting, with 36 needed from the last three overs, but Jasprit Bumrah struck with two brilliant yorkers to wrap it up.
India batting order struggles need to be addressed before crucial knock-out stage, their bowling attack may be their best bet of World Cup victory, with Pandya’s variations backing up the pace of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and the returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar moving the ball both ways at the top of the innings.
Captain’s Comments
India captain Virat Kohli: “Bangladesh played some really good cricket and deserve credit for the fight they put up. We had to work hard for the win and we are happy to see a Q in front of our name now.
“This was a team picked specifically for this ground with a small boundary. We can’t be stubborn and play the same team every game.
“I have been watching Rohit for years now, he is the best ODI player around. He is a joy to watch and is having the tournament of his life.
“When he plays well we know we are heading for a big score. He gives everyone confidence to go out and bat.”
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza: “It was a good effort – Mustafizur bowled well – but if one of the batsmen could have got to 80 or 90, it might have been different.
“We were asking too much in the end. A bit of luck didn’t go our way either.”
