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Dhaka, May 10: Mahendra Singh Dhoni defied cramps to hit a mature unbeaten 91 as India recovered from a mid-innings slump to post a hard-fought five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the truncated first cricket one-dayer here today. Chasing a victory target of 251 in 47 overs, India were in a spot of bother at 144 for five before Dhoni and Dinesh Kaarthick (58 not out) pulled the team out of the pits with an unfinished 107-run partnership and give the side a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Befittingly, Dhoni hit the winning stroke off Syed Rasel to see the side reach 251 for five and win the match with one over to spare in a thrilling contest which again underlined Bangladesh's growing stature as a competitive one-day team. Though India skipper Rahul Dravid insists it's not a revenge mission, the win did avenge the side's humiliating defeat against the minnows in the World Cup.
Bangladesh, the surprise package in the
recent World Cup, very nearly raised hopes of another upset
win by first recording a competitive 250 for seven and then
removing the top half of the Indian batting quite cheaply.
Electing to bat after the start was delayed by 45 minutes due
to drizzle, the hosts were well-served by a 117-ball 80 by
opener Javed Omar and 68-ball 50 by Saqibul Hasan. The young
Tamim Iqbal provided a flourishing start with a quickfire 45.
The Indian innings got off to a blazing start as Gautam
Gambhir and Virender Sehwag plundered runs at will to take
the team total to 33 after four overs. Gambhir (21) was the
more attacking but his stay in the middle came to an end in
the next over as he failed to control his aggression.
Going for a shot, the Delhi player
misjudged the line of pacer Syed Rasel and the ball rapped
him plumb in front of the wicket. Rasel picked up Sehwag (30)
in his next over who went for an uppish drive and Saqibul
Hasan pulled off a marvellous diving catch at widish cover,
reducing the visitors to 56 for two. Yuvraj Singh (1) also
did not last long, and the hosts seemed in trouble at 63 for
three. Shahadat Hossain tasted success with a slower one, as
Yuvraj, who had committed himself to a drive, checked it at
the last moment and Abdur Razzak accepted the offering at
silly mid-off. Dhoni, who had begun in his trademark
blistering style, showed maturity by cutting down his strokes
and put on a 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket with
captain Rahul Dravid.
The Indian innings reached the
three-figure mark in the 17th over, with Dhoni driving
left-arm spinner Razzak to the onside to pick up three runs.
Dravid, who seemed to be shaping up for a big innings, paid
the penalty for being in two minds to a flighted delivery
from Saqibul Hasan. He first leaned forward and then went for
a square drive, in the process managing only a slice, which
went straight to Razzak at backward point. Dravid scored 22
off 39 balls his departure left India reeling at 112 for
four. Dinesh Mongia (17), making a comeback into the team,
did not look too comfortable in the middle before Saqibul
Hasan plotted his dismissal with a flighted delivery to
reduce the visitors to a precarious 144 for five. However,
Dhoni and Kaarthick ensured that India did not suffer any
further setbacks as they curbed their natural strokeplay to
consolidate the position.
The two kept the scoreboard moving with
gentle pushes and nudges but were prompt to dispatch the
loose balls to the boundary. Earlier, the Bangladesh batsmen
made the Indian attack look like a pedestrian one and the
openers laid the foundation for a modest total with a 78-run
stand. Before the toss, Bashar said a score of 230-240 would
be quite competitive and in the end, the side had posted 250
for seven in the 47 overs. After Bashar opted to bat first,
Tamim (45) and Javed (80) ensured that their captain stood
vindicated. Saqibul Hasan (50) and Mohammad Ashraful (29)
then stepped on the accelerator as Bangladesh reached the
250-mark. With the Indian pace duo of Zaheer Khan and S
Sreesanth struggling to settle into a rhythm, Tamim and Javed
got on with the job in their contrasting style.
Javed put a premium to his wicket, while
young Tamim whose blistering hits in the World Cup drew rich
accolades, was at his fluent best. The couple forced Dravid
to make early bowling changes but Munaf Patel was too slow
and was hardly a threat to the Bangladesh openers. The spin
duo of Ramesh Powar and Dinesh Mongia managed to keep things
under control, barring occasions like the one when Javed
hoicked Powar over long-on for a six. Mongia and Powar pegged
Bangladesh back with two quick wickets to send the
dangerous-looking Tamim back after a 53-ball knock, apart
from extending Habibul Bashar's (0) run drought. Javed and
Saqibul then stitched together a 107-run partnership to
frustrate the Indian attack, which lacked both the fire and
the sting.
Javed eventually returned run out after a
117-ball knock which included seven boundaries and two sixes
but Saqibul went on to score a sparkling half century before
he was stumped. Vice-captain Mohammad Ashraful delighted the
crowd with a 22-ball 29 and got able support from Aftab Ahmed
who came up with a run-a-ball cameo of 16. Mongia was the
pick of the Indian bowlers claiming three for 49 in his 10
overs. The two teams will play the second one-dayer at the
same venue on Saturday. (Agencies)
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