BIRMINGHAM: Tamim Iqbal, one of the heroes of Bangladesh’s sensational win over India in the 2007 World Cup, turned a villain on Tuesday when he shelled a dolly to let Rohit Sharma off the hook. When you drop Rohit, he makes you pay. On Tuesday, it cost Bangladesh a 28-run defeat and also sent them crashing out of the World Cup with a match to spare despite a brilliant start to their campaign. For India, the hard-fought win at Edgbaston swelled their tally to 13 points, confirming the two-time champions’ entry into the semifinals.
The elegant opener who was on nine when Tamim dropped him at deep square-leg promptly rub-bed it in by smoking a big six over the covers in next over and eventually went on to complete his fourth century of the tournament — a 92-ball 104. In the process, Rohit also equalled Kumar Sangakkara’s record of the most centuries in a single edition.
Rohit also surpassed David Warner to become the leading run-getter in the ongoing World Cup. The Indian has amassed 544 runs so far in the tournament, while Warner’s tally stands at 516.
Chasing 315, Banglaesh’s fortunes revolved around their all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who scored a fine half-century — his sixth of the tournament — but his dismissal in the 34th over left them in a lurch at 179 for six. A brilliant 66-run partnership between Mohammad Shaifuddin (51 not out) and Shabbir Rahman (36), however, revived their hopes. From 124 runs required off 13 overs, the duo brought the equation down to 70 off 42 balls.
As Shami conceded 28 runs including six boundaries in his two overs during the phase, Kohli needed to press the panic button. The talismanic Jasprit Bumrah was handed the ball and he responded by cleaning up Sabbir. A thrilling win was still within the reach of Bangladesh when they needed 36 off 18 balls with two wickets in hand. Bumrah then fired in his most-potent weapon, the yorker, to remove Rubel Hussain and Mustafizur Rahman in consecutive balls.
Earlier, Rohit and K.L. Rahul (77 off 92 balls) put on 180 runs for the opening wicket — the highest of the tournament — to provide a strong base for a huge total, but all India could get was a par 314 for nine. Off his five sixes, the one that sailed towards the sightscreen off Mustafizur stood out. His trademark elegance was written all over it as he leaned forward and pushed it with a straight bat over covers.
After Rohit’s dismissal — perished soon after completing his 26th ODI — India lost nine wickets for 134. In the last five overs, India managed just 35 runs, losing four wickets.
M.S. Dhoni made a 33-ball 35, but his struggle to finish with a flourish was more pronounced. He took time to settle down and hit four boundaries but his reluctance to give the strike to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is no mug with the bat, in the final over will certainly be a hot topic of discussion in the coming days. After refusing a single and playing out another dot ball, Dhoni walked back to the pavilion.
