Adelaide: India got out of jail to beat Bangladesh by 5 runs via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit T20 World Cup match at Adelaide on Wednesday.
Indai’s third victory in 4 games in Super 12s Group 2 took them to the brink of qualification for the semifinals. Their last match is against Zimbabwe.
Virat Kohli hit his third half-century of the tournament to help Team post what looked to be very a good total of 184/6. Bangladesh opener Litton Das then smashed 59 off 26 balls before rain came down at the Adelaide Oval.
Bangladesh were motoring along at 66 for no loss in just 7 overs at that stage. But two balls after play resumed following a 53-minute stoppage – with the revised target being 151 off 16 overs — KL Rahul ran out Litton with a direct throw from deep-midwicket to turn the game on its head. Bangladesh fell apart and lost a flurry of wickets to pacers Arshdeep Singh (2/38), Hardik Pandya (2/28) and Mohammad Shami (1/25).
And despite a spirited 27-run partnership for the seventh wicket, young Arshdeep kept his head in the final over to stop Bangladesh at 145/6.
Rahul earlier showed what he is capable of in compiling a scintillating half-century – his first of the tournament – after skipper Rohit Sharma fell cheaply.
Kohli (64 not out off 44 balls, 8×4, 1×6) and Rahul (50 off 32, 3×4, 4×6) set up the platform with a brilliant 67-run second-wicket stand off 6 overs. The in-form Suryakumar Yadav made a typically strokeful 30 off 16 balls and Ravichandran Ashwin smacked a 6 and a 4 to take India past 180.
Brief scores: India 184/6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 64*, KL Rahul, 50, Suryakumar Yadav 30; Hasan Mahmud 3/47, Shakib Al Hasan 2/33). Bangladesh 145/6 in 16 overs (Litton Das 60; Hardik Pandya 2/28, Arshdeep Singh 2/38).
Result: India won by 5 runs (D/L method).
Super 12 Group 2 position: India 6 pts, South Africa 5 pts, Bangladesh 4 pts, Zimbabwe 3 pts, Pakistan 2 pts, Netherlands 2 pts.
India’s last group match – Vs Zimabwe on Nov 6 (Sunday) – from 1.30 pm at MCG.
