India vs Bangladesh: Positives & Concerns for Virat Kohli & Co after crucial win - Team India Report Card
ICC World Cup: While the win was India’s 6th in 8 matches, having lost one to England and the match against New Zealand getting washed out, Virat Kohli still has a lot to worry about ahead of semi-final.
India huffed and puffed their way to a crucial victory over Bangladesh to finally ascertain a semi-final spot for themselves at the Edgbaston on Tuesday. Bangladesh’s batting firepower meant India were stretched despite scoring 314/9 in 50 overs and it was eventually down to the excellence of Jasprit Bumrah that sealed victory for the Men in Blue. India eventually won the match by 28 runs but they were given a big scare. While the win was India’s 6th in 8 matches, having lost one to England and the match against New Zealand getting washed out, Virat Kohli still has a lot to worry about ahead of semi-final. Here is our Report Card of all the players who played against Bangladesh.
1) Rohit Sharma - Rating: 9/10, Verdict: Excellent
He is undeniably India’s strongest suit currently and Virat Kohli will pray that his deputy gets going in the crucial semi-final. The highest run getter in the tournament currently, Rohit played an attacking innings at the top of the order to allow KL Rahul the space he needed to get a start. In the process he scored his 4th century of the tournament and also brought up 500 runs, both of which brought him on par with past greats. His dominance int he initial part of the innings ensured India scored in excess of 300 despite a shambolic performance in the last 10 overs.
2) KL Rahul - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good
Played second fiddle to a rampant Rohit Sharma really well and played his part in a 180-run opening partnership. Rahul though is still not able to convert the 50s into big scores and that is something he himself said is a concern in his batting he would like to address. Needs to maintain focus to get the big scores under his belt.
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3) Virat Kohli - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Above Average
Virat Kohli must have realised how crucial he is to the batting line-up in this match as his dismissal at an important juncture meant a prospective 350-plus total turned into a 310-plus target. The lack of the consistency in the lower middle order and a longish tail means Kohli staying till the 45th over is vital for India to turn good starts into massive totals. Looked good for his 27-ball 26, rotated his bowlers well in the Bangladesh chase to close the match earlier than expected.
4) Rishabh Pant - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good
The stage is big for someone as young and new as Rishabh Pant and his nervousness is visible when he is on the crease. But the explosive batsman is doing his job despite his edgy presence on the crease. He 48 off 41 balls and gave the Indian innings the fillip they needed after Kohli and Pandya departed in quick succession.
5) Hardik Pandya - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good
A second ball duck ensured Hardik couldn’t provide momentum to the innings but he did the trick for Kohli with the ball, picking three invaluable wickets. The all-rounder has been doing his job as the fifth bowler and he picked up the wickets of Bangladesh’s lynchpin Shakib-al-Hasan, Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar to derail Bangladesh’s chase.
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6) MS Dhoni - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average
Dhoni was his usual self again and played cautiously to stay till the last over and scored 35 runs off 33 balls. Dhoni’s decision to not take singles in the last over backfired as he was dismissed off the third delivery and India failed to make it big in the last 10.
7) Dinesh Karthik - Rating 4/10, Verdict: Below Average
It is tough for anyone to sit out 7 matches and then come out to bat in the final overs and get going straightaway. Dinesh Karthik faced 9 balls and scored 8 runs, failing to provide the firework towards the end of the innings. He contributed in the field by taking the catches of Shakib and Liton.
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8) Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average
Brought back into the playing XI keeping the opposition in mind, Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a crucial role in the final overs to pull things back for India. With Saifuddin going hammer and tongs against Mohammed Shami to take Bangladesh closer to the target. Bhuvneshwar bowled economical overs and also picked up the wicket of Mashrafe Mortaza, who could have posed potential threat with his big hitting skills.
9) Mohammed Shami - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average
Mohammed Shami again did the trick with the new ball as he dismissed Tamim Iqbal to give India its first breakthrough. The paceman though was targetted in the death overs and he seemed to have run out of ideas on how to put a lid on runs. Similar problem was seen against England, despite him picking a bagful of wickets. Needs to sort out his death bowling.
10) Yuzvendra Chahal - Rating 6/10, Verdict: Above Average
Yuzvendra Chahal played a crucial role in the match as he broke the all important partnership by sending back Mushfiqur Rahim, who looked good for a big score. The leg spinner showed good temperament on a batting track to go for just 50 runs in 10 overs.
11) Jasprit Bumrah - Rating 8/10, Verdict: Very Good
Jasprit Bumrah’s tour de force continued but he did leak runs this time. Kohli rested on Bumrah’s magic in the death overs to get the team over the line and he did just that. His lethal yorkers got rid of Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman to ensure the dangerous Saifuddin was stranded at the other end. He also picked up the crucial wicket of Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain.