India v Bangladesh
at Chandigarh
Scorecard
Commentary
Bangladesh' slide continued with another disappointing effort by the specialist batsmen, this time against India in Chandigarh, as India almost secured a spot in the main round with the very first game of the tournament. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar ensured they'll stay in the side for a while with massive scores and a partnership of 126 - five more than Bangladesh' managed for their first six wickets.
Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan both used the new ball well, gaining surprising amount of movement in humid conditions, and all too much for the Bangladeshi batsmen. Tamim nicked an outswinger and Bashar an inswinger, and Agarkar emerged with creditable three for 31 in his first spell.
Harbhajan Singh continued the slide. Ashraful reverse swept him to Yuvraj for 18, and with Munaf Patel bowling good wicket-to-wicket stuff at the other end, the batsmen were forced to milk Harbhajan. It worked to an extent - his economy rate was never below five - but four wickets fell during his bowling, including all recognised batsmen. Mashrafe Mortaza, never known for patient rebuilding, saw himself forced to leave a number of shots against Sehwag and Harbhajan, and the tactic worked surprisingly well, as the two put on 47 for the eighth wicket, making a somewhat competitive target.
India went about chasing the total in a professional and surprisingly patient manner, though Sehwag once again gave his wicket away early, as if asking for the drop. When Razzak had Dhoni stumped just as he was attempted to cut loose, there looked to be a glimmer of hope for Bangladesh, but Ganguly and Tendulkar settled into an excellent groove as they clipped past 100 in the 23rd over. The near-desperate reintroduction of Mortaza in the 31st over brought no results, except for a half-hearted lbw appeal, and it was Rasel who eventually got the breakthrough - after being responsible for Ganguly's century earlier on in the over. Ganguly touched a ball on a good length and was out for 102, a well-paced innings, and India required just 21 to win off 13 overs.
Even with Rahul Dravid as the new batsman, that target was a breeze. Tendulkar drove Rafique for a one-bounce four to win the game. It was the strike of a confident batsman, giving the home fans something to dream about in this tournament yet.
Bangladesh 213 for nine (50 overs)
Mashrafe Mortaza 42, Mohammad Rafique 34*; AB Agarkar 3/37, Harbhajan Singh 3/56, MM Patel 2/35, Z Khan 0/30
India 214 for three (41.1 overs)
SC Ganguly 102, SR Tendulkar 63*; Syed Rasel 2/38, Abdur Razzak 1/35 [6]