Post-Series Analysis: India vs Bangladesh
India lost 1-2 to Bangladesh in their 3-game ODI series in Bangladesh. Certain events in the match promoted scrutiny of the Indian team and management, while other events prompted praise, with the highlight for the Indian side being Ishan Kishan’s double century (210(131)). Here are highlights from each match:
Match 1:
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli fell cheaply, before India were able to cross the 50-run mark. KL Rahul (70(73)) steadied the boat with Shreyas Iyer (24(39)) and Washington Sundar (19(43)), but the latter two fell before the 100 and after the 150 mark respectively. From there, the Indian batting lineup collapsed, losing the remaining 5 wickets for only 34 runs.
India broke through early and were able to take wickets consistently. After 39.3 overs, Bangladesh were 9 down with only 136 runs on the board, and it looked like all curtains were down. Unfortunately for the Men in Blue, Mehnidy Hasan had other plans. He put up a 50-run winning partnership with Mustafizur Rehman and scored 38 runs off 39 deliveries himself!
The failure of the Indian bowlers to get Mehindy Hasan out and KL Rahul’s dropped catch of Hasan behind the stumps were the primary problems for the Indian side in this match.
Match 2:
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first. The top order completely collapsed, and Bangladesh were soon at 69-6 after 19 overs. Mehindy Hassan again took up the reins and carried his team to 271 with the loss of only one additional wicket. He scored an unbeaten 100 off 83 balls.
India got off to a jolty start, losing the top 4 (Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar) with only 65 runs on the board. Shreyas Iyer (82(102)) stabilized the game with Axar Patel (52(56)), and the two brought India to 189 runs after 38.2 overs before having to depart. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur started to build a partnership, but they were sent off and India sunk deeper at 213-8 after 45.1 overs. Then, captain Rohit Sharma, who had a thumb injury, stepped onto the ground and scored an unbeaten 50 off just 27 balls. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for India as Mustafizur Rehman nailed a perfect yorker on the last delivery, allowing Bangladesh to win by 5 runs.
Match 3:
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first. India started off poorly, with Shikhar Dhawan falling right after India crossed 11 runs. India had another scare when Virat Kohli got dropped on one run by Litton Kumar Das. After that though, Kohli and Ishan Kishan put up a 290 partnership spanning almost 32 overs and brought India to 305 before Ishan Kishan fell for a wondrous 210 off 131 balls. Virat Kohli continued the charge despite losing partners Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul and hit a well-deserved 113 (91) before getting caught in the 41st over. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel stabilized the boat with a 46 run partnership before they fell for 37(27) and 20(17) respectively. Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj finished off the innings, bringing India to a mammoth score of 409 runs for 8 wickets after 50 overs.
Chasing such a large total was never going to be easy for Bangladesh, but good Indian bowling made the task impossible. Despite decent contributions from Litton Das (29(26)), Shakib Al Hasan (43(50)), Yasir Ali (25(30)), and Mahmudullah (20(26)), Bangladesh never were able to push the gas pedal, which resulted in a consistent series of wickets that ultimately got them all out for 182 runs after 34 overs. In an ironic turn of events, Ishan Kishan outscored the entire Bangladesh team with his history-setting innings.
Some Important Observations from This Match:
Left-handed batsman Ishan Kishan has shown incredible talent and could be a future Indian opener in the ODI format alongside groomed right-hander Shubman Gill. The lefty-right combination of these two could be key in helping India win many ODI series and ultimately future ICC tournaments.
KL Rahul seems to be in poor form and his lack of consistency could be a major worry for the Indian management. If his poor form continues, he may have to be dropped to make way for players like Sanju Samson who are waiting for an opportunity at home.
One of India’s greatest openers, it seems that age has finally caught up with the wondrous left-handed batsman, as his combined score from the 3 ODIs are less than 50. His poor form could be a major worry for the Indian management.
Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik are in red-hot form in the T20 and ODI formats. Both of these bowlers bowl at 150+ kilometers per hour, which adds an extra level of lethalness to the balls they bowl. Along with Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah, Malik and Siraj are future pacers of the Indian national team.