India are now on the brink of a semi-final spot after a tense five-run win over Bangladesh in a rain-affected Super 12 T20 World Cup match in Adelaide. They were given a scare by the Tigers thanks to Litton Das’ 21-ball fifty before rain stopped play. Bangladesh were 17 runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) par score but saw their target revised to 151 off 16 overs. Following the break they suffered a batting collapse – Gulf News cricket experts discuss the match and also look ahead to Pakistan Vs South Africa tomorrow.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Golf News Straight Back. Today it was India against Bangladesh in the
00:11Super 12 Group 2 Clash. Bangladesh was set a revised target of 151 in 16 overs after
00:18rain stopped play in Adelaide and in the end it was India that won by 5 runs. Shyam, that
00:24was a thriller, wasn't it? It sure was. Again, one of those matches went down to the last
00:33point. At one point it looked like Bangladesh was ahead when the rain interruption came.
00:40They were actually 17 runs ahead and everything was in their favour. But as soon as the match
00:45resumed, the whole complexion changed, especially with the dismissal of Liton Das. And I think
00:51the panic swept into the Bangladesh ranks and they scrambled for quick runs. They lost
00:57a heap of wickets and that settled it, I think. Satish, what did you make of that? Did you
01:02enjoy that game? Wow, that's a brilliant game. And I think Bangladesh always saves the best
01:10for India, I think. Because the second time, 2016, when they played again, it was a last
01:16ball thriller. I remember when Dhoni came running and took the bales off. I still remember
01:21that in Bengaluru. This one, I still feel rain helped India in a way because had Liton
01:29Das continued for another few more overs, he would have probably taken the match straight
01:32away away from India. The way he was striking. Unfortunately, the rain came and he lost his
01:38momentum. And it was always difficult for somebody who was already in top gear to again
01:44hit the top gear immediately. Because that's what you would expect. And the conditions
01:48have changed. The weather, the rains must have made the pitch a little bit soggy. And
01:55then the wet ball, everything poked together. But here, what has happened is, he couldn't
02:00find the footing. So he was run out of a direct hit from the deep, which was quite again,
02:06lucky for India. At one point of time, the luck was against India when Karthik dropped
02:12Liton Das when he was 27. And I think a ball or a couple of balls earlier, the ball fell
02:17a little short when he took the catch. So at that point of time, the luck was with Bangladesh.
02:22After rains, it turned and it was helping India a lot at that point of time. Because
02:29those kind of run outs, you probably get once in 10 times or maybe once in 20 times.
02:36Yeah, the rain really caused the major disruption today. It was unfortunate because India had
02:41started really well. They set Bangladesh a huge target. Shyam, were you impressed with
02:46Rahul's brilliant 50 from 32 balls? He got India up to a flying start, didn't he?
02:53Yes, indeed. And actually, he made me eat my words. Because yesterday, I was calling for
02:57Rahul's ouster. And actually, today, I ended up with egg on my face, really. Because yes,
03:03the thing is, about Rahul is, when he gets going, he is such a joy to watch. It's so effortless,
03:10the shots he plays. And this was one of his super innings. And you could see the way he
03:17was toying with the ball, really. So it was a joy to watch him play those effortless shots.
03:24But Satish, I think he was overshadowed, wasn't he, by Virat Kohli, who clearly now looks to be
03:29in getting back to the best of what we know, how he can play. How impressed were you with
03:36his unbeaten luck today, Satish? I think Virat's role has been little
03:41changed. Because thanks to KL Rahul or Rohit Sharma or Suryakumar Yadav or Pandya, I think
03:46Virat is now playing the pivotal role where he stays there for a longer time. He takes his time.
03:53He picks his gap and plays those proper cricketing shots. And the others try their luck. And then
04:00they go after the bowling. And in the process, when he has to do final overs, he shifts here,
04:06which he can do anytime. And this is what he has been doing in the last two games. And this is
04:10exactly what he did today as well. But today, I felt initially he was not getting his timing,
04:16though Adelaide was his favourite ground. But after a point of time, to be precise, after
04:22KL Rahul's exit, Suryakumar Yadav came in and they had a 30-run partnership of which Suryakumar got
04:2930 runs. So, that eased Kohli's nerves. He started playing a normal game. And from then on,
04:34he took off and led a brilliant knock, which is… I think now this tournament is all about Kohli.
04:40I think he wants to prove a point that he is still not a spent force.
04:45So, Shyam, you think he's got a point there to prove? That's his third 50,
04:50I think, in the tournament so far. He's clearly playing like he does.
04:55I don't think he's got a point to prove. Because we know what Kohli is capable of.
05:01It's just that he has to return to his scoring form, which we knew it will come. But the only
05:08problem was, it was getting far too delayed. It took him nearly three years to get into that
05:13scoring vein. But when it came, the runs are just flowing. It's like a run glut, actually.
05:21So, ever since the Asia Cup, he's not looked back, actually. So,
05:25the 350 is already out of four innings in this World Cup. Amazing. So, he's back to his best.
05:34All three knockouts, Shyam. Sorry.
05:36Yeah, that's true.
05:37Yeah, he's been doing well.
05:40No, that's okay, Siddhish. So, let's start from the beginning. Bangladesh chose to bowl.
05:45And in fact, India's captain, Sharma, said that he would have liked to have batted. So,
05:49it worked out well for both of them. And we know how good Taksin Ahmed has been for Bangladesh.
05:55He's got eight wickets, I think, in his last four games. He didn't get any wickets today. But again,
06:00he was really good. No wickets, but only 15 runs conceded, Shyam. How impressed have you
06:04been with his bowling?
06:06Oh, he's been a standout in this tournament, actually. Every single game he's played,
06:13Tuscan has been very, very impressive. Today, he was distinctly unlucky not to get wickets. But
06:18otherwise, every match, he's been getting wickets. And actually, he's not a new bowler. He's been
06:23around for some time. But the thing is, he's improved so much in this World Cup. And this
06:28condition suits him. And you can see how he's used the conditions beautifully, actually. He's
06:33certainly one of the finds in this World Cup.
06:37Yeah, he's been doing… He'll be disappointed he didn't get the wicket of Rohit Sharma,
06:41who was dropped on, I think, just one run. And instead of going on, Siddhish, for him
06:46to get… You know how batsmen do. They get that second chance and they go on to score
06:5020, 30, 40, 50s even. Sharma was out for just two. So, he'll be very disappointed he didn't
06:56make the most of that lifeline, won't he?
06:59See, that's the way he's playing these days, Imran. I think the openers, they wanted to
07:05either play different or… That's exactly the problem for the Indian team. They are
07:11not looking at rotating the strike. Either hit or miss, that kind of an approach they
07:16are having. I think Rohit Sharma is bound to get one score very shortly, probably next
07:20game against Zimbabwe. Because he's that kind of a player where he likes to hit the
07:26ball hard and likes to control the game better. So, in a way, I think, after Rohit Sharma
07:34left, Rahul started playing better in the company of Kohli. I don't know what the logic
07:40was, but he started hitting the ball well. So, in that sense, I don't think Rohit Sharma
07:46not getting runs is going to be a matter of concern. Yes, but he is a player, again, like
07:52Rahul, he is too good a player to not score runs for a long time. It's only a matter of
07:57time he scores. But coming back to Bangladesh, the tactics today, I was a little surprised
08:02because Bangladesh bowled all the main bowlers. Saqib Olason, Tuskin, Mustafizur. Almost
08:11of the 12 overs, they have bowled 11 overs before the 15th over. I was quite shocked
08:17with the way they approached it. Because you keep your best for the last. But I get a strong
08:22feeling that they were playing with the rain in quotient, maybe. Absolutely. That's the
08:28explanation. Some things were not really saying it, but you have to understand. Sridharan
08:34Sriram, who is one of the coaching staff in Bangladesh, was with Australia for seven long
08:40years. So, he knows a bit about Australia. He stayed there. He's been there with them.
08:44So, maybe he gave a little insight to that. And it worked until the rain came in. But
08:49after that, it collapsed, unfortunately. Yeah, unfortunately. I think we have to speak
08:54about the Bangladesh openers, Najmal Hussain Shanto and especially Litton Das. They knew
09:02what they needed to do. Initially, they were set a target of 185. They had to put India's
09:08bowlers under pressure. And well, Das sure did that. He was smashing those fours and sixes. And
09:14he was seeing the cricket ball like it was a beach ball. I think it was that clear for him.
09:17He was really playing really well. And Sharm, it was just the start that Bangladesh needed,
09:22wasn't it? Exactly. If they had to make a match of it, they had to go hard in the power play.
09:30So, this is exactly what they did. They were scoring at 10 and over. And they needed to
09:37keep that pace. My only worry was, the moment… Because if you look at the other opener,
09:42he was… That is Najmal Hussain. He was in three or something when Litton
09:48had reached around 60 or so. But when you have such disparity in scoring, the trouble is,
09:57the guy who is leading the chase, if he gets out, then the chase collapses. That is precisely what
10:03happened in Bangladesh's case. If Najmal also had a handy role in the chase, then it would have been
10:10easier. But now, Litton was singularly leading the chase. And when he gets out,
10:17and the rest of them collapse, which is a tragedy actually. Because given the chase… Because they
10:24were at 68-41, which is incredible in a chase like this, especially in Australia, where a wicket was
10:31seeming. In fact, they took the swing and seem out of the equation. Because the first over of
10:38Arsenal went for 12 runs. And I think they targeted him simply because he was the main
10:44wicket-taker for India. So, they did everything right until the rain.
10:50Actually, if you look at, if the match had not started again, Bangladesh should have won.
11:01They were looking for rain. Unfortunately, the rain was strong enough to stop the match from
11:07getting halted at that point of time. So, they had their homework right. And they went with
11:12a plan. Unfortunately, the rain was not strong enough for the match to be halted there. So,
11:18when they came back, it was a difference in us. Yeah, I mean, that rain really changed the whole
11:23complexion of the game. At that point of time in Duckworth Lewis, that's where the target also
11:27became 151. Otherwise, it would have been probably 165 or 170 or 160, something else like that. So,
11:35but without losing a wicket, 67, no loss in 7 overs. Brilliant effort. That brought the match
11:43even closer to them after the rain. Brought it really close. But that rain effect
11:48really had an unfortunate effect on Das, who was flying before then. He was going all guns blazing.
11:53And like you guys are saying, it could have been a totally different picture if the heavens didn't
11:58open up like that. Because after that rain break, Bangladesh's innings just completely
12:02collapsed, didn't it? Yeah, absolutely. And especially the Das dismissal did a lot of
12:09damage because none of the other batsmen could sustain the same pace of scoring. Like I said,
12:14if Najmal Hossain was scoring well also from the other end, maybe things would have been different.
12:19But the thing is, after the rain, none of them could really up their scoring rate. They tried.
12:25I mean, it's not for one of trying. But the thing is, when you change your arm, there's always a
12:30risk of getting out. And that's precisely what happened. I mean, Satish, it was a real shame to
12:35see Das the way he was run out. He only faced two balls, I think, after the restart. He hurt
12:41his hand, I think, in the first ball. And then in the second ball, he slipped. That's right.
12:48Yeah. And then, unfortunately, he was run out. And you could see how disappointed he was.
12:52I mean, you really have to feel for the guy, don't you? For him to go in the way that he did.
12:57Absolutely. Again, this was lucky. And again, he couldn't get his footings right. So he slipped.
13:03That's why he was a bit short. But here, I have to credit the Indian team. The fielding was
13:10spot-on today after the break. Initially, they dropped a few. The fielding was not up to the
13:14mark. But after the rain break, when they were literally driven up against the wall,
13:20so then they really came up with the best performance on the field. In fact, it was
13:24the fielding that won the match for them, if I may say so. Because they took some very good catches,
13:32very difficult ones under the dark skies, under the light. But they didn't put a foot wrong after
13:38that in fielding. Where in the previous matches, they dropped so many, including the one against
13:42South Africa. It was chalk and cheese, like two extremes. Whereas, Sittar was dropped there.
13:47Whereas here, they took some very good catches. And that's what they have to do regularly.
13:52But that's a very good point, Satish. In fact, considering the wet outfield as well,
13:56you would have thought that a lot of those catches could have slipped out of their hands. But Tasham,
14:00they hung on to those this time, didn't they? That was quite impressive from them.
14:04Absolutely. Because they didn't drop anything after the break, actually. So that really helped
14:09them. Because they needed to hold on to those catches to apply pressure. And that's precisely
14:14what happened. All the wickets fell and Bangladesh could make a set-rate.
14:24But Satish, clearly the pitch was very wet. You could see that. The outfield was very wet. Should
14:30the umpires have waited just a little bit longer for it to dry off? I mean, was it even safe to
14:35play on? No, the wicket was not wet. The outfield was slightly damp, yes. But with the spikes on,
14:42these are conditions which are… You can play on those conditions. It's not a dangerous,
14:48difficult… It was a difficult condition, not a dangerous condition. That's why the umpires
14:53started the game. Otherwise, they wouldn't have started the game at all. So the pitch was covered
14:58even before there was a drop of rain. So that way, the pitch was not wet. But yes, of course,
15:03when you're running around, when you're walking around, that dampness will come in on the pitch
15:07and the ball also, it'll be wet. So these are some of the things that happened. But the pitch
15:12was not wet in terms of real wet. It was not affected by the rain at all because it was well
15:18covered and the groundsmen were quick in their job. Yeah. Okay, well done to India. They have
15:25now got six points and they topped the group. Bangladesh are going to be relying on other
15:30results if they want to make it to the semi-final stage. Tomorrow, there's only one match. It's
15:35Pakistan against South Africa. South Africa will be looking, I think, to exploit the poor form that
15:40the Pakistan team is currently in. If they lose, they're going to be sent home, I believe. Sham,
15:47it's a massive match for Pakistan. How do you see that one going tomorrow?
15:52It's a difficult one to call here simply because South Africa are perhaps the best-performing team
15:58in the World Cup right now. They have not lost a single match. Now, as for Pakistan,
16:03this is a must-win match for them. Right now, their prospect doesn't look good. But if they
16:09lose their match, they're pretty much out of the tournament, which means they will be coming out
16:14with all cylinders firing. So that will make for a good match. So who will win? It's a difficult
16:19call. I would say on the strength of the form, it could be South Africa. Oh, Sham is predicting an
16:27early exit for the Pakistan team. Satish, South Africa were one of the dark horses in the lead-up
16:32of the tournament to do really well. And like Sham has said, they've been playing really well
16:36with the bat and the ball. How impressed have you been with South Africa? South Africa, still,
16:42I'm not very convinced in the sense only a couple of batsmen are performing there. So you cannot
16:48depend on two batsmen or two and a half batsmen to take you, win you matches every time. So that's
16:55where I feel tomorrow Pakistan will have an edge because Pakistan's bowling is brilliant. They
17:00don't let you play the way, attack the way they did to India. In fact, even India had them on the
17:06mat with just made a small score. So I think South Africa has got a great bowling unit, but their
17:14batting is a bit suspect. I strongly feel that the Pakistan bowlers are strong enough because
17:20Pakistan probably have one of the best bowling attacks and they can come up with something
17:24spectacular. And believe me, like last time also when Pakistan was almost out, they went on to win
17:30the World Cup in 92. So when they are under pressure, when they are really up against the
17:36wall, they come up with a better performance. So I would probably give Pakistan an edge tomorrow's
17:43game than South Africa. And that makes it even more interesting contest if Pakistan win. So then
17:49Pakistan will be up against Bangladesh in the last game. Of course, South Africa and India will have
17:53a slightly easier opponent in Netherlands. South Africa will play Netherlands, whereas
17:58India will play Zimbabwe. But still, the group will be open with a lot of competition
18:05combination till the last game on Sunday.
18:09Yeah, there'll be lots of twists and turns, I believe. Like Satish has just said, there'll be
18:14lots of things to look forward to. I think that's all for today, guys. In the meantime, everybody
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