After being eliminated in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup, the team appears to be refocusing their efforts on improving their performance at the One-Day International World Cup in the following year.
However, things got off to a bad start on the road to achieving that goal for India on Wednesday, when they gave Bangladesh an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series they were playing.
After the diminutive Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the hosts to a five-run win in the second one-day international (ODI) with a memorable hundred, India’s poor batting display and inability to land the killer blow contributed to their second consecutive series loss in Bangladesh. India’s loss came after the diminutive Mehidy Hasan Miraz led the hosts to a win in the second ODI by five runs.
During Bangladesh’s stunning comeback that brought them to 271 for seven, Miraz harassed the Indian bowlers while he was on his approach to scoring his first century.
Although India’s challenge appeared to be over at 207 for seven, skipper Rohit Sharma’s (51 not out off 28 balls) courageous effort went in vain as he nearly brought his team home while batting with a fractured left webbing. However, India’s challenge was ultimately unsuccessful.
Following the defeat, former India opener Virender Sehwag offered an interesting perspective on India’s performance as of late. “Cryptos se bhi tez gir rahi hai apni performance yaar (Our performance is falling faster than crypto currencies). We need to wake up and shake things up “he explained in the tweet.
In reference to the game, India required a six off the final ball of the game, but Mustafizur did very well to perfect the yorker under pressure. This came after Mustafizur bowled a number of slow leg-breaks in the 48th over, which forced Mohammed Siraj to play out a maiden.
When Mashrafe Mortaza’s squad competed against MS Dhoni and company in a one-day international series in Bangladesh in 2015, they emerged victorious and went on to win the overall series.
As a result of losing the series, India will have to start over in their preparations for the World Cup, which will begin in less than a year.
Shreyas Iyer (82 runs off 102) and Axar Patel (56 runs off 56) hauled India back into the game with a spirted 101-ball 107-run partnership after India had reached 65 for four in their run chase. This brought India back into the competition.
After injuring his elbow while fielding during Bangladesh’s innings, Captain Rohit did not come out to open the batting for his team. After the loss of the seventh wicket, he finally made the decision to move towards the middle of the field, but he clearly appeared uncomfortable doing so.