|
Dhaka, May 12: Gautam Gambhir slammed a sparkling 101 as India inflicted a 46-run defeat on Bangladesh to clinch the three-match one-day cricket series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead here today. The 25-year-old Gambhir, making a comeback to the national team, notched up his second ODI hundred to power India to an imposing 284 for eight before the bowlers restricted the hosts to 238 for nine in what turned out to be a rather lopsided contest at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
Scorecard
Opting to bat first in the rain-truncated match which was reduced to 49 overs a side, the left-handed Gambhir turned the spotlight on himself with some audacious strokeplay during his 113-ball knock while captain Rahul Dravid (42 not out) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) were the other notable contributors for the visitors.
While the Indians were a little scrappy in
their first match, they were far more convincing today to
settle score with their World Cup nemesis Bangladesh. It was
India's first ODI series win abroad in 15 months since the
4-1 verdict against Pakistan in February 2006. Chasing the
daunting target, none of the Bangladesh batsmen could really
get going though Aftab Ahmed (40) and captain Habibul Bashar
(43) got starts but could not make it count.
The margin of defeat could have been much
bigger for the home team had it not been for some lusty
hitting by Mashrafe Mortaza, who struck a blistering 42 off
just 22 balls and took the score beyond the 230 mark which
looked doubtful at one stage. Mortaza picked up Dinesh Mongia
for special treatment clobbering him for four consecutive
sixes, much to the delight of the near capacity home crowd,
which suddenly found its voice. Young Piyush Chawla, playing
his first ODI, was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three
wickets for 37 runs off his 10 overs. The Uttar Pradesh
leg-spinner was drafted into the team in place of an injured
S Sreesanth.
The two teams will now travel to
Chittagong for the inconsequential third and final game to be
played on Tuesday. The Bangladesh reply began on a wrong note
as they lost regular wickets in the early overs. The
promising Tamim Iqbal, who struck a belligerent half-century
in the series opener, edged past gully off Munaf Patel to
pick up a boundary, but it was curtains for him in the fourth
over. The 20-year-old drove Zaheer Khan to mid-off and set
off for a single, but there followed a series of yes-nos with
partner Javed Omar before the latter sent him back.
However, it was too late for Tamim (7) to
regain the crease as Piyush Chawla sent in a precision throw
to Dhoni, who did the rest. Omar, who played in his
characteristic gritty style, put on 33 for the second wicket
as Aftab Ahmed let loose some wonderful strokes that brought
the crowd to its feet. A carpet-kissing boundary of Zaheer,
and a hoik over midwicket for six off Patel, followed by
back-to-back fours off the Baroda left-arm pacer, gave the
crowd some fleeting moments of celebration.
But Omar (11) fell to a slower delivery
from Zaheer as he committed himself to a stroke too early and
Kaarthick made no mistake in taking the offering in the
covers. Zaheer then saw the back of another dangerman, Saqib
Al Hasan (5), who edged behind the wicket, as Banlgadesh were
in trouble at 60 for three. However, Indians lost wickets one
after the other in the slog overs and a 300-plus score, which
looked a distinct possibility at one stage, remained
unattainable.
Vice captain Mohammad Ashraful also did
not last long as he was foxed by a Piyush Chawla googly to
give the delighted teenager his first international scalp on
debut. Ashraful got 12. Powar finally dismissed Aftab (40) in
the 20th over when the batsman tried to force the pace but
saw his stumps uprooted. Aftab faced 41 balls and picked up
five boundaries and a six. Skipper Habibul Bashar and
wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim tried to delay the inevitable as
they saw the score past the 100 mark in the 23rd over.
The Indian openers initially could not
break loose against a tight bowling performance by Mortaza
and Syed Rasel. Sehwag and Gambhir had to wait for the loose
balls to pounce upon on a flat track. The pair put on 43
runs, before Sehwag (21) yet again fell prey to a mad rush of
blood in the eighth over. The Najafgarh player lofted Rasel
over long-off for a six. He went in for another big heave
getting a couple, but perished trying the same exercise two
balls later in the same over.
Rasel pitched it on the full, and Javed
Omar took the catch running across mid-off. Dhoni, again
promoted in the batting order, was a trifle lucky even before
opening his account as he edged Mashrafe, but the ball fell
wide of wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim. Gambhir, whose first
two scoring shots were boundaries, played solidly, using his
feet well as Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar introduced the
first of his three left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak after 14
overs.
Dhoni picked up a couple of fours in the
17th over, the first one being a cheeky stroke past the slip,
as the 50 of the partnership came off 66 deliveries. But
Dhoni seemed to be riding his luck, as Razzak dropped a
difficult caught and bowled chance in the next over, with the
Indian on 26. Maintaining a steady run rate of over five an
over, the Indians reached the three-figure mark in 19.5 overs.
The Delhi left-hander got to his half-century of 65 balls
soon after. India were cruising at 129 for one at the half
way stage, but the 87-run stand ended in the next over, with
Dhoni trying to cut a Mohammad Rafique delivery that pitched
wide and Rahim took a great catch behind the wicket.
Dhoni's 36-run knock of 54 balls, had four
boundaries. Yuvraj Singh then joined Gambhir and played a
22-ball cameo, scoring 24, and put on 44 for the third
wicket. Bashar opted for the third powerplay after the fall
of Dhoni's wicket but Yuvraj hit a few big shots to take
advantage of the restrictions. The third powerplay taken in
the 27th over cost 39 runs with the bulk coming from Yuvraj's
bat. The highlight of Yuvraj's innings was two beautifully
timed sixes over mid-on. Rafique, however, had the last laugh
in his next over as Yuvraj played his shot a bit early and
perished to a return catch. Scorecard
(Agencies)
|
