Photo Credit: ICC
India’s quest for a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 gained significant momentum with a dominant 50-run triumph over Bangladesh in a pivotal Super Eights encounter held in Antigua.
From the outset, India set a formidable target after electing to bat first upon Bangladesh winning the toss and opting to field. Opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli laid a solid foundation, swiftly reaching 29/0 in just three overs. However, Bangladesh struck early as Sharma departed for a brisk 23 runs, caught off Shakib al Hasan’s bowling. Kohli, in his usual fluent style, continued to accumulate runs until Tanzim Hasan Sakib dismissed him for 37 runs, featuring one boundary and three sixes.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, India’s innings gained momentum with Hardik Pandya’s explosive 50 off 36 balls. Pandya’s innings proved pivotal, providing the impetus needed to push India to a competitive total of 196/5 by the end of their 20 overs. Contributions from Shivam Dube and Rishabh Pant further bolstered India’s score, showcasing their depth in batting.
In reply, Bangladesh faced an uphill battle from the start. While Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan showed promise with decent starts, they struggled to convert them into substantial scores against India’s disciplined bowling attack. Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah were particularly effective, picking up crucial wickets and restricting Bangladesh to 146/8 by the conclusion of their innings.
Despite a late surge led by Rishad Hossain, who scored a quickfire 24 off just 10 deliveries, Bangladesh fell well short of India’s target. Arshdeep Singh delivered the final blow, dismissing Mahmudullah and sealing India’s comprehensive victory. The result not only extended India’s unbeaten streak in the tournament, having previously overcome Ireland, Pakistan, USA, and Afghanistan, but also solidified their position as a formidable contender in the race to the semi-finals.
With this commanding win, India moved closer to confirming their place in the semi-finals, while Bangladesh faced an uphill task to keep their tournament hopes alive after a second consecutive defeat in the Super Eights phase, following their loss to Australia earlier. The clinical performance by India underscored their depth in both batting and bowling, emphasizing their status as one of the tournament favourites.
