India opted to test their bench strength in Friday’s dead rubber match against Bangladesh, who have already been eliminated from the competition, since they have checked most of the boxes at the present Asia Cup, which is regarded as the penultimate training camp before the ICC World Cup next month.
At the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Bangladesh reached a respectable 265 for 8 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked Shakib-Al Hasan to bat. The strategy may have been more successful if India had not struggled on the field.
In response, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack was smashed by opener Shubman Gill (121) for his fifth ODI century, which inspired the other Indian batsmen to dance to their beats. Later, Axar Patel hit a 34-ball 42 to boost India’s hopes before Bangladesh’s bowlers fought back to change the momentum in their favor and secure their lone win in the Super Four Stage, a consolation win by 6 runs.
The Punjab hitter was put to the test not just physically but also psychologically as he had to take leadership of the chase on a hot Friday night, particularly after the top and middle order batsmen failed to make any significant contributions, with the exception of a 26 from Suryakumar Yadav.
As a consequence, Gill had to switch up his strategy many times, although he mostly relied on singles and doubles when they came along to keep the scoreboard moving even if wickets continued falling at the other end. Tilak Verma (5) had a miserable debut when Rohit Sharma was sent packing for a second-ball duck, while the in-form spin combo of KL Rahul (19) and Ishan Kishan (5) both failed the spin test.
The onus was on Gill to save India from the mess, and the right-hander almost led India to a surprise victory, but the constant loss of wickets made his task much more difficult. Gill, who is ranked second in the ICC ODI batting rankings, made his three-figure score in 117 deliveries while hitting six fours and four sixes. In the course of the process, Gill surpassed 1,000 runs in the format in 2023.
Mahedi Hasan was dismissed by Gill for a flat six as India closed in and needed another 63 off 39 deliveries. The off-spinner then fiercely retaliated with a widish ball outside off to end Gill’s vigil after making 121 off 133 deliveries.
Bangladesh had aspirations of snatching a victory when Gill was dismissed, but Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur almost denied them the luxury with a strong 40-run stand. Before Mustafizur Rahman hauled him back to guarantee Bangladesh’s victory, Axar took calculated risks and exploited the long handle to excellent use to nearly deliver India a battling win.
Before three missed catches enabled Bangladesh to take advantage, Mohammed Shami and Shardul, who were called back for the game, gave India a stunning start by eliminating the top three inside the first six overs.
When his team was down to 28 for 3 and then to 59 for 4, captain Shakib demonstrated why he is still highly regarded in international cricket. The left-hander, who came in to bat with Bangladesh in danger, led the comeback with an aggressive half-century before Towhid Hridoy added another calculated fifty to save Bangladesh the embarrassment. With a 101-run stand for the fifth wicket, the pair solidified the innings and provided direction for the lower order’s shot-making.
As many as three catches were missed by India’s fielders on the day, and one of them was Shakib, who was on 28, when KL Rahul failed to get an outside edge from the southpaw off rookie Tilak Verma. The captain of Bangladesh made the most of the opportunity and lofted Axar Patel for a six over midwicket to reach fifty runs quickly. The Bangladeshi duo increased the stakes after getting their sights in, and one delivery later, the left-arm spinner was once again sent over midwicket.
Shakib showed no compassion to the other left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja on the way to the 100-run partnership, while Hridoy repeatedly cleaned up off-spinner Verma at the other end. When Shardul Thakur came back for a second stint, he was able to end the standout partnership by getting rid of the dangerous Shakib, who had by this point scored 80 off 85 balls.
After Shakib was gone, Hridoy was under pressure to contribute, and the right-hander proved to be a useful batsman, reaching a tough 54 off 81 before the lower order put up a valiant performance in the last 10 overs. Even though Hridoy was dismissed in the 42nd over of the innings, Bangladesh still managed to score 72 runs because to the contributions of Nasum Ahmed (44), Mahedi Hasan (29 not out), and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (14 not out).
Shardul was India’s best bowler, producing 3/65, while Mohammed Shami ended up taking a few casualties. Both the left-arm spin combo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna, who was playing his first game after coming back from injury, were successful in picking up a wicket.
On Sunday, the final will now feature Sri Lanka vs India.