Asia Cup : Rohit , Nehra Help India Beat Bangladesh By 45 Runs

Rohit-Sharma-01
Rohit Sharma scored a strokeful 83 runs to steer India to 166 runs in the first match of Asia Cup against Bangladesh .

Internet Desk : A brilliant batting display from Rohit Sharma , coupled with some accurate bowling by Ashish Nehra handed India a comprehensive 45 run victory over hosts Bangladesh in the first match of Asia Cup at the Sher e Bangla stadium today .

Nehra lead a consolidated bowling effort from India , picking three wickets for 23 runs . The hosts never looked in contention to chase the Indian total .It was not all smooth sailing for India though.

Batting first, India were in a spot at 52 for 3 after 10 overs, but a brilliant batting display from  Rohit Sharma lead India to a match-winning total. Rohit’s innings was decorated with seven hits to the fence and three huge sixes . He was ably supported by Hardik Pandya, who showed once again that he could play some big shots lower down the order. Pandya chipped in with a quickfire 31 runs off 18 balls .

Earlier Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza did not hesitate to put India into bat on winning the toss on a unfamiliar Sher e Bangla wicket . Indian captain MS Dhoni was declared fit for the match . India had a familiar playing XI with only one change, Kohli coming  in for Rahane.While Bangladesh went in with a four prong pace attack in Taskin Ahmed , Al Amin , Mustafizur and captain Mashrafe.

Bangladesh made early in roads  as Al Amin Hossain saw the back of Shikhar Dhawan getting between his defence for only 2 runs . Kohli was the next to go trying to go over the mid off only to be caught by Mahmudullah off the bowling of Moshraffe for 8 runs . The score at that time was 22/2 . Suresh Raina looked to be in a hurry as he surrendered his wicket trying to step out against Mahmudullah . The left hander could only manage 13 runs with the score reading 42/3 after 7.5 overs . India after ten overs could only manage 52 runs losing 3 crucial wickets .

It could have been worse with Rohit Sharma  being dropped by Shakib at point  on 21 runs off  Taskin with the score on 52/3 . Rohit getting a life made the most of it , hitting Taskin for two fours and a six in his last three deliveries .

Yuvraj reached the milestone of 1000 runs after scoring 7 runs . The left hander  played his part notching up a fifty partnership with Rohit Sharma departed for 15 runs  with the score 97/4 . Rohit Sharma went from strength to strength as he went after the Bangladeshi captain, hitting him for a straight six and an exquisite cover boundary .

Hardik Pandya promoted up the order justified the decision with some power hitting . He raced to 31 runs off only 18 balls with four hits to the fence and a towering six . Rohit Sharma scored a strokeful 83 runs off only 55 balls before being dismissed by a spectacular catch by Soumya Sarkar off the bowling of Al Amin . Indian captain finished the  innings with a six off the last delivery . Some good economical bowling in the last couple of overs restricted the Indians from piling in excess of 170 runs .

Nehra made excellent use of the same early movement that hampered India in their innings. His first three overs cost a mere 17 runs and yielded the wicket of Mohammad Mithun as well. Jasprit Bumrah was excellent at the other end as well, taking the wicket of Soumya Sarkar and going for only 14 in his first 3 overs. Sarkar was caught by Dhoni off a short ball from Bumrah, while Mithun was cleaned up by Nehra.

Sabbir Rahman played a gem of an innings, hitting an attractive 44 off 32 balls. For as long as he was in the middle Bangladesh were in with an outside chance. However, the Indian bowlers kept pegging away at the other end. Imrul Kayes was completely bogged down in his innings of 14 off 24 balls, finally falling to a top-edged sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin.

Shakib Al Hasan continued his disappointing run of form, getting involved in a run out with Sabbir and falling for 3. Mahmudullah hit one from Nehra to Rohit, and Mashrafe Mortaza hit one to Jadeja first ball. Mushfiqur Rahim and Taskin Ahmed merely carried out the formality of batting through the overs as India won by a convincing 45 runs.