Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the second T20I between India and Bangladesh from the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. This was Shivansh Gupta bringing you all the action as it unfurled in Rajkot.
[India beats Bangladesh by eight wickets to level the series 1-1]
MAN OF THE MATCH: ROHIT SHARMA FOR HIS 85-RUN KNOCK
Until then, this is Shivansh Gupta bidding you all good night. CIAO!
I will see you again when the two teams meet in Nagpur for the decider.
That's all we have for you today. Thank you so much for joining us.
Rohit Sharma celebrated the occasion of playing his 100th T20I for the country in some style. He finally expressed himself today and showcased his striking prowess. After India restricted Bangladesh to 153/6 in 20 overs, Rohit and Dhawan put up a century stand. Rohit was the wrecker-in-chief as he smashed 43-ball 85. Shikhar Dhawan played an able hand with his 27-ball 31. Shreyas Iyer and K.L. Rahul provided the finishing touch as the host chased down the target with 26 balls to spare.
---End of match, India wins---
IND 154/2 | 15.4 overs
R ahul 8(11), Iyer 24(13)
INDIA WINS! India has levelled the three-match series at 1-1 and we will head to Nagpur for the decider. Coming to the winning runs, Mustafizur pitch a cutter short and Iyer tries to pull through the mid-wicket region. However, he is early on the shot and the ball finds the under edge of the bat trickles down to the third man. Rahul and Iyer run a comfortable single and that's that!
IND 139/2 | 14 overs
R ahul 6(8), Iyer 11(6)
Iyer gets off the mark with a six. Indian batsmen are in a hurry to finish this one off.
New batsman in: Shreyas Iyer walks in at no. 4.
hawan 85(43, 6x4, 6x6) by Islam
NOT THIS TIME! Rohit Sharma cannot put this half-tracker away. It was a tired-looking shot. The batsman cleared his leg and tried to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary, but the ball found top edge and flew into the hands of Mithun in the deep.
IND 119/1 | 11 overs
Rohit 81(38), R ahul 2(2)
New batsman in: Lokesh Rahul walks in at no. 3.
hawan 31(27, 4x4) by Islam
OUT CLEAN-BOWLED! Very well bowled from Aminul Islam. The leg-spinner spins in to Dhawan viciously. The batsman dances down the track and takes a big heave at it. But Dhawan misses the ball completely, which goes on to clip the top of his leg.
IND 113/0 | 10.0 overs
Rohit 79(36), Dhawan 28(24)
SIX ! SIX! SIX! STAND AND DELIVER! Rohit Sharma welcomes Mosaddek Hossain with three sixes in a row. He stays put in his crease and puts the half-tracker from the spinner into the stands over deep mid-wicket. Next ball, Mosaddek pitches it short again and pays the same price. Only this time, Rohit hits it finer over deep fine leg. For his third maximum, Rohit stands tall and picks the pitched up delivery from outside off to hit it over deep mid-wicket. Ruthless!
IND 89/0 | 8.0 overs
Rohit 56(26), Dhawan 27(22)
FIFTY UP IN 100TH T20I! Rohit Sharma welcomes Afif into the attack with with a monstrous hit over deep mid-wicket. The off-spinner pitches it around off, Rohit clears it leg and thwarts the ball for a maximum. He has taken just 23 balls to get there.
IND 76/0 | 7.0 overs
Rohit 47(22), Dhawan 25(20)
Shikhar Dhawan gets into the act; first signs of aggression from Dhawan as he collects two boundaries off Aminul Islam. Two successive expensive overs from Bangladesh... 13 off the Islam over and India now well and truly in the driver's seat.
IND 63/0 | 6.0 overs
Rohit 46(21), Dhawan 13(15)
After squeezing a low full-toss by Shafiul Islam past backward point for a boundary, Rohit skips down the track and dispatches the ball over long-off for a six. The ball hits the boundary cushions on the full and the umpire signals six after consulting with the T.V. umpire.
IND 48/0 | 5.0 overs
Rohit 32(16), Dhawan 12(14)
Runs are coming thick and fast. After slashing Al-Amin past the point fielder for a four with optimum timing, he guides the next ball (a slower one) between point and short third man fielder for yet another boundary.
IND 37/0 | 4.0 overs
Rohit 22(12), Dhawan 11(12)
ROHIT IS ENJOYING HIMSELF! In his 100th T20I, captain Rohit is taking Mustafizur to the cleaners. After hitting the bowler for two boundaries through the off-side, Rohit steps out of his crease and hits a beautiful lofted shot through the line for a huge six. It was hit right over the head of the bowler. 15 of that over and India is already well on course to chasing the total down.
IND 19/0 | 2.0 overs
Rohit 6(5), Dhawan 10(7)
11 runs off the first over and it's been a sound start for India.
FOUR - Excellent from Dhawan again and a misfield helps the ball evade the fielder and the ball rolls on to the long-on boundary.
FOUR - First boundary of India's innings and Shikhan Dhawan walks down the pitch, gives himself room and smacks it through the covers for a boundary. Excellent shot.
We are back for the run chase and out come the India openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. And it will be Mustafizur Rahman who will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go!
Stay tuned for the run chase.
---Start of 2nd innings---
[INNINGS BREAK]
Indian bowlers did really well after the powerplay to restrict Bangladesh to 153. Naim and Das had gotten the visitor off to a strong start and Bangladesh looked like heading to 170+. Liton Das was given two lifelines but he eventually ran out of it when he was run out by Pant. From thereon, Indian bowlers continued to make inroads at regular intervals and did not allow any batsman to settle in. Safe to say, some batters threw their wickets away with poor decision making, but India will not complain.
--END OF 1ST INNINGS---
BAN- 153/6 | Overs- 20
Mosaddek 7(9), Animul 6(7)
Last over of the innings coming up!
BAN- 144/6 | Overs- 19
Mosaddek 4(6), Animul 1(2)OUT! Skipper dismissed! Deepak Chahar picks up his first wicket and the captain has to go back. It was a loopy bouncer from the bowler and the batsman tries to ramp it over the short third man fielder. However, he doesn't get enough on it and the lack of pace makes it even harder. Shivam Dube dives forward to take simple catch.
New batsman in: Aminul Islam joins in the middle.
30(21, 4x4)) ct Dube b Chahar
BAN- 136/5 | Overs- 17
Mahmudullah 27(20), Mosaddek 0(0)
Mahmudullah continues to make merry. He is a smart operator as he hits Khaleel for consecutive boundaries. On both occasions, he waits and cuts the ball past the short third man fielder for four.
Change in the field: Chahal walks out and Manish Pandey has taken his place on the field.
New batsman in: Mosaddek Hossain joins skipper Mahmudullah in the middle.
Hossain 6(8) ct Rohit b Khaleel
OUT! Khaleel picks up Afif Hossain. It was a cutter that was bowled full. Hossain walks down the track and tries it slice it over in-field. However, he miscues it and the ball travels high in the air. Rohit Sharma makes no mistakes this time.
BAN- 103/4 | Overs- 13
Mahmudullah 1(1), Hossain 0(0)
New batsman in: Afif Hossain comes in to bat.
Sarkar 30(20, 2x4, 1x6) st Pant b Chahal
OUT! TWO IN THE SAME OVER FOR CHAHAL! Chahal beats Soumya Sarkar with a goggly and entices him to dance down the wicket. Just like Liton Das, Sarkar completely misses the ball but this time, Pant makes no mistakes. He collects the ball behind the stumps before dislodging the bails. The T.V. umpire had a second look and pressed not-out by mistake before displaying the correct signal. Drama and more drama!
New batsman in: Mahmudullah walks out to the centre and joins Sarkar.
Rahim 4(6) c Krunal b Chahal
OUT! DANGER MAN SENT PACKING! Yuzvendra Chahal is delighted and conveys the same with a fist pump as he gets rid of Mushfiqur Rahim. Rahim fetches the pitched up delivery on off and tries to sweep it on knee over deep mid-wicket. However, the ball finds the toe end of the bat and flies to Krunal Pandya in the deep. Unlike last match when Pandya had dropped Rahim in th exact same position, makes no mistake this time.
BAN- 97/2 | Overs- 12
Sarkar 25(16), Rahim 4(5)
Expensive in his first over as he gives away 11 runs.
Change in bowling: Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya is introduced.
BAN- 86/2 | Overs- 11
Sarkar 18(13), Rahim 2(2)
New batsman in: Mushfiqur Rahim comes in at number four.
Naim 36(31b, 5x4) c Iyer b Sundar
CAUGHT IN THE DEEP! Set batsman in Mohamamd Naim has been sent packing by Washington Sundar. It was a length ball that was angling in and Naim was looking to slog it over deep mid-wicket. However, the timing is quite there and Shreyas Iyer in the deep makes no mistake.
BAN- 78/1 | Overs- 10
Naim 36(30), Sarkar 12(10)
The medium pacer concedes eight runs from his first over. At the halfway stage, Bangladesh is on course for a big total.
Change in bowling: Rohit Sharma brings on India's fifth bowling option in Shivam Dube.
BAN- 64/1 | Overs- 8
Naim 31(26), Sarkar 3(2)
New batsman in: Soumya Sarkar comes in at number three.
Liton Das 29(21b, 4x4) run out Pant
RUN-OUT! Rishabh Pant redeems himself as Liton Das runs out of luck! Chahal's googly grazes the front pad of Das and deflects on to Pant. The ball hits the keeper's chest and falls close to the stumps. Panth aggressively appeals for LBW and Das and Naim have a moment of miscommunication. Das runs for a single.Pant rushes to the ball and finds a retreating Liton short of his ground with a direct hit.
BAN- 59/0 | Overs- 7
Das 29(20), Naim 29(23)
DROPPED BY THE SKIPPER! Liton Das is given a third lifeline. Bowler Washington Sundar cannot believe it. Das mistimes a slog sleep and the balls finds the top edge of the bat. Both the keeper and skipper run for the catch. Pant holds back and allows Rohit to attempt the catch, who spills the catch.
BAN- 54/0 | Overs- 6
Das 26(17), Naim 27(20)
Das, in the next delivery, made India pay by tonking a pitched-up delivery for a boundary. Liton follows it up with another boundary through the cover region. Chahal pitched it short and the batsman slapped it for four.
STUMPING MISSED! Rishabh Pant has squandered a simple stumping opportunity. Chahal gave the ball a lot of flight and foxed Liton into advancing down the track with great turn, but the batsman missed completely and all Pant had to do was collect the ball and dislodge the bails. However, Pant was too eager to do so and ended up collecting the ball before the ball crossed the line of the stumps. That's not allowed and umpires declares it a no-ball. Free-hit for Bangladesh.
Change in bowling: Yuzvendra Chahal has been brought on to bowl.
BAN- 41/0 | Overs- 5
Das 15(11), Naim 26(19)
Change of ends but no change in fortunes for the left-arm pacer. Another short delivery and Naim obliges as he rocks back a little and pulls the ball through the mid-wicket region. On the fourth delivery of the over, Naim gets lucky. Khaleel bowls a good length delivery and the batsman has to rush into the shot. The ball finds the bottom edge of the blade and races down to the third man fence.
Khaleel Ahmed changes ends, replacing Deepak Chahar.
BAN- 31/0 | Overs- 4
Das 14(10), Naim 17(14)
The off-spinner starts well, only conceding seven off his first over.
Change in bowling: Washington Sundar is introduced into the attack.
BAN- 24/0 | Overs- 3
Das 9(6), Naim 15(12)
Good over from Deepak Chahar. Concedes only four runs from his second over.
BAN- 20/0 | Overs- 2
Das 6(5), Naim 14(7)
Expensive first over! Naim welcomes Khaleel Ahmed into the attack with a boundary down the ground and past the mid-off fielder. Next ball, Khaleel digs it short and Naim squats and and smashes it through the square leg region. Naim then made it three in three as he pulled another half-tracker to the fence. 14 off the second over.
Khaleel Ahmed is sharing the new ball with Deepak Chahar.
BAN- 6/0 | Overs- 1
Das 5(4), Naim 1(2)
Deepak Chahar right on the money first up. A good length delivery around off and Das negotiates it. Next ball, Das guides the ball angling in from off-stump down to third man to get off the mark. Naim, then, tucks the ball pitched on leg to mid-on to get off the mark. Das finishes off the first over with a lovely drive through square leg.
Chahar to Liton Das and here we go!
Bangladesh's openers Liton Das and Mohammad Naim have walked out to bat in the centre. Deepak Chahar has the new ball in hand.
---FIRST INNINGS---
Toss Update: Rohit Sharma wins toss, opts to bowl first against Bangladesh in the second T20I. Both teams are unchanged from the first T20I in New Delhi.
MILESTONE ALERT: Skipper Rohit Sharma will be playing his 100th T20I for India tonight in Rajkot.
Here's what both captains opined at the toss:
Mahmudullah: I don't think so (about toss being a factor). Pitch looks really hard, nice to bat on. I would have loved to bowl first too but now will want to put some runs on the board. It's a good oppportunity for all of us (to win the series). Need put all these thoughts aside and do the basics well. Important for the senior players to do well. Even the youngsters have done well. We're unchanged too.
Rohit: We're gonna field first. Looks a good pitch. Rajkot has always been a good pitch. I see some tracks there but this has always been a good surface. I also hear that there might be some dew later on, and that should help chasing. I'm aware of the stats but like I said, it gives us to do unusual things (regarding defending scores). But having said that, once you know what to chase, it's easier for batsmen. They know what tempo to go at. We're unchanged. I think we didn't perform that badly in the last game.
Pitch report: Rajkot has always been a batsmen-friendly pitch and this deck is no different. A rock-hard surface with a bit of grass cover on top. The team winning the toss should look to bowl first. Pitch report was presented by Sunil Gavaskar and Murali Kartik.
Weather update: The weather so far is holding up. Rajkot of the second T20I was greeted by bright sunshine, blue skies.
After Cyclone Maha made landfall in Rajkot yesterday, strong winds and heavy rain lashed the ground, shattering glass panes, breaking a wooden scaffolding, and sending sheets of tarpaulin flying this way and that.
Here's our correspondent Shreedutta Chidananda's preview.
India and Bangladesh trained under clear blue skies at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium on Wednesday afternoon but as dusk fell, the weather took a turn for the worse. Strong winds and heavy rain lashed the ground, shattering glass panes, breaking a wooden scaffolding, and sending sheets of tarpaulin flying this way and that.
In half an hour’s time, the outfield had come to resemble a shallow lake; the cyclone had duly arrived. The rain continued to pound away for an hour, before eventually fading in intensity. It remains to be seen what weather Thursday brings, and if there will be a full contest between India and Bangladesh in the second T20I here.
In the event of a game, though, there is much at stake for both sides. India's defeat in the first encounter of the three-match series was unexpected but it is no longer a result — as Rohit Sharma pointed out — that may be classified as an upset.
Bangladesh ought to have registered its first T20 win over India some time ago, and Sunday's victory — when players kept a cool head towards the end instead of imploding in a panic — will have given the touring side much confidence.
There were no extravagant celebrations from the Bangladesh team at the finish; Mahmudullah's men clearly believe they can return home with a series win. India's 2-0 defeat to Australia in February was its first home T20 series loss in over three years.
In September, the side drew 1-1 with South Africa after a thrashing in Bengaluru. The T20 World Cup is still a year away, and it would be unwise to read too much into the outcome of a bilateral engagement when India is missing key players, but a series defeat to Bangladesh now would cause some concern.
Room for improvement
Moreover, there is a sense — not entirely unfounded — that T20 is India's weakest format. There is work to be done. In Delhi, India's poor use of its review in the field, Krunal Pandya's dropped catch, and Khaleel Ahmed's 19th over understandably drew attention. But India did not exactly dazzle with the bat either.
Shikhar Dhawan made a laboured 42-ball-41, the sort of innings that simply puts too much pressure on those batting at the opposite end. India managed only 35 runs in the Powerplay, before the hundred arrived in the 16th over.
Rohit Sharma defended that approach as being necessary on a difficult surface, but the top six — with the exception of Shreyas Iyer and perhaps the captain — ought to have shown greater intent. India would approach its batting differently in the second T20, Rohit stated, because the pitch here was conducive to stroke-making. There was no need to make changes to the batting group, he felt; it seems unlikely that the bowling combination will be tinkered with either.
To Bangladesh, a series win will be cause for celebration, especially given the circumstances under which the touring party arrived in the country. India will be desperate to avoid a series defeat, even if the players have been keen to deflect all talk of pressure. The home team made mistakes in the first match; it cannot afford any more of them in the second. But first the weather must relent.
Meanwhile in the Caribbean, India Women's team defeated West Indies by six wickets to clinch the ODI series 2-1. Player of the match Smriti Mandhana smashed 74 to power India to victory.
MATCH BROADCAST DETAILS
The match will be shown on the Star Sports network and can also be streamed live on Hotstar. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST.
Comments
SHARE