In the first ODI of the India tour of Bangladesh 2022, the hosts won the fixture followed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s heroics with the bat.
Litton Das won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bangladesh had a good outing with the ball as they didn’t let the Indians settle at the crease and build partnerships. Along with restricting the opponents, they also pocketed wickets at regular intervals and bundled out the visitors to a below-par score of 186.
A chase that seemed like a cakewalk didn’t turn out to be that easy. Najmol Shanto was the first one to depart on the first ball of the innings. The skipper stood against quality Indian bowling and kept the scorecard moving. Along with Das, the middle order also made small contributions and stopped the flow of wickets. The home team was all set for a comfortable victory as they were 128/4 with the required rate under control. Things started going haywire as Bangladesh started losing wickets at a quick rate. The hosts needed 51 runs to win with just one wicket in their hand. Instead of keeping the ball on the ground, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (38*) started swinging and also managed to clear the boundary rope. Luck favoured Miraz as he was dropped on 15 by KL Rahul. Mustafizur Rahman didn’t just stay unbeaten but also contributed with a couple of boundaries. With four overs to spare, Bangladesh sealed a last-wicket victory and acquired a 1-0 lead.
India had a poor day with the bat, apart from Rahul (73), no other batter could make a notable contribution. Multiple Indian batters were off to a good start but were outfoxed by the nature of the pitch, which was spinning and gripping.
Shakib Al Hasan was the star bowler for the hosts as he gathered five wickets for 36. Ebadot Hossain also pocketed four wickets and Miraz had one scalp to his name.
For the Men in Blue, who almost pulled off the game, Mohammed Siraj was the pick among the bowlers for his 3/32. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Sen had two wickets each. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur had one wicket each to their names.
Miraz was named Man of the Match for his contribution with bat and ball (1/43).
Scorecard:
India – 186/10, Overs 41.2, KL Rahul 73, Shakib Al Hasan 5/36
Bangladesh – 187/9, Overs 46, Litton Das 41, Mohammed Siraj 3/32