Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

World T20 PHOTOS: Three straight wins propel India into semis

Last updated on: March 29, 2014 09:58 IST
Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan leaves the field as India's fielders congratulate Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3rd left) on dismissing him

India booked a place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 after beating Bangladesh by eight wickets in their Group 2 Super 10 match in Mirpur on Friday.

Scorecard

They restricted Bangladesh to 138 for 7 following yet another dominating performance by their spinners before the batsmen made short work of the target by crossing the line with nine balls to spare.

It was India's third successive victory in the competition. They are well on top of Group 2 with six points and a match to go against Australia.

Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bowl. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled tidily and conceded only 21 in his three overs while dismissing Bangladesh's leading player, Shakib Al Hasan.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mahmudullah, Ziaur Rahman, Sohag Gazi, Mashrafe Mortaza, Al-Amin Hossain.

- Please click NEXT for more...

Ashwin was yet again at his best

Last updated on: March 29, 2014 09:58 IST
India's fielders celebrate the dismissal of Bangladesh's Shamsur Rahman (not pictured)

Ravichandran Ashwin was yet again at his parsimonious best and finished with exceptional figures of two for 15 in four overs. 

For Bangladesh, all-rounder Mahmudullah finally came good as he blasted unbeaten 33 off 23 balls, with five fours and a six, to give his team’s total a decent look.

Mahmudullah added 49 runs for the sixth wicket with Nasir Hossain (16). 

Opener Anamul Haque (44) played well at the top while skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (24) failed to convert the start that he got.

Bangladesh is the third team in the tournament that India has restricted to less than 140

- Please click NEXT for more...

Mishra took three wickets

Last updated on: March 29, 2014 09:58 IST
Amit Mishra is congratulated by teammates after dismissing Anamul Haque

Amit Mishra's dream run in the marquee event continued; he was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 26 in four overs.

His best dismissal was that of Bangladesh's top scorer, Anamul. The leg-spinner bowled back-to-back googlies which the batsman failed to read.

The first one went for four byes, but the second was good enough to light up the LED stumps. 

The bowler also accounted for Nassir Hossain (16) and Ziaur Rehman (0).

- Please click NEXT for more..

Rohit Sharma made a calculated 56

Last updated on: March 29, 2014 09:58 IST
India's Rohit Sharma in action against Bangladesh

Chasing the modest target, India lost Shikhar Dhawan (1) early.

However, Rohit Sharma (56) and Virat Kohli (57) batted with consummate ease and helped the team reach the target without breaking much sweat.

Both Sharma and Kohli posted their second successive half-centuries in the process. 

The duo added 100 runs for the second wicket to pave the way for another professional show by the team. 

Rohit faced 44 balls in his knock and hit five fours and a six. 

- Please click NEXT for more..

Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 57

Last updated on: March 29, 2014 09:58 IST
Virat Kohli plays a ball as Bangladesh's captain and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim (right) watch

Virat consumed 50 deliveries for his knock and helped himself to three fours and a six in the process. 

Such has been the duo's domination in the tournament that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to promote himself up to get an opportunity to gain much-needed 'batting practice' in a match situation. 

Dhoni (22 off 12) finished off the match in style by hitting a straight six off Ziaur Rahman. 

For the record, India's last-four berth is also their first since the inaugural edition in South Africa back in 2007.