Bangladesh beat India in another thriller, seal series: Key Takeaways
Bangladesh claimed a five-run win over India in the 2nd ODI in Dhaka. The hosts successfully defended 271, denying an injured Rohit Sharma the winning runs. His captain's knock went in vain after Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel slammed half-centuries. Earlier, ton-up Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah helped Bangladesh recover from a collapse. Bangladesh have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
How did the match pan out?
The Indian bowlers ran through the Bangladesh batting line-up after the latter elected to bat. However, Mehidy and Mahmudullah staged a terrific fightback. A 148-run partnership helped Bangladesh recover from 69/6. Mehidy slammed his maiden ODI ton in the final over. India had a similar start (4/65) before Iyer and Axar made a turnaround. A bruised Rohit slammed a fifty but to no avail.
A historic series win for Bangladesh
Bangladesh have scripted history, having clinched just their second ODI series win against India. It is their second back-to-back series win in the format against India. Bangladesh defeated India 2-1 in 2015 at home. The hosts have not lost a bilateral ODI series at home since October 2016. England were the last side to defeat Bangladesh in their backyard.
Should Rohit have promoted himself?
Indian captain Rohit sustained a blow to his thumb while fielding in the slips. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan opened in his absence. Rohit came out to bat when India were tottering on 207/7. He nearly brought India home with his 28-ball 51* (3 fours, 5 sixes). Had Rohit promoted himself in the batting order, the result could have gone the other way.
India gain from Iyer's form
Although India have lost the series, the form of Iyer is one of the few positives for them. Despite his short-ball weakness, Iyer continues to ace the ODI format. He steadied India's ship after they were in a spot of bother. He raced to his 14th ODI half-century (82 off 102 balls). Iyer is now India's leading run-scorer in ODIs this year (721).
India need to define Thakur's role
Shardul Thakur has failed to make an impact in his recent outings. The right-arm seamer conceded 47 runs without taking a wicket in the 2nd ODI. Thakur, who is handy with the bat, scored a 23-ball 7 when India required his services. The Indian seamer was expensive during his only outing in New Zealand, having leaked 63 runs (nine overs).
Another poor knock from Dhawan
The poor run of opener Dhawan in ODIs continues! The left-handed batter scored a 10-ball 8 before falling to Mustafizur Rahman. Dhawan has crossed the 20-run mark just twice in his last seven ODI innings. His scores in this period read 8, 7, 28, 3, 72, 8, and 13. Notably, Dhawan scored his last ODI ton during the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Deepak Chahar continues to deal with fitness issues
Like Rohit, pace spearhead Deepak Chahar also sat in the dugout in the first innings. He started the proceedings for India but went off after delivering three overs. It has been learned that Chahar is reeling from a hamstring injury. "When they come to play for India, they need to be at more than 100 percent," a disappointed Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
