Colombo , Sept 15: In a nail-biting encounter, India’s young opener Shubman Gill played a stellar knock, scoring his fifth ODI century to anchor India’s chase of 266 against Bangladesh on Friday.
However, despite his valiant efforts, India fell agonizingly short of the target, ultimately succumbing to the pressure in the final moments of the game.
Gill’s magnificent innings of 121 off 133 deliveries was a display of exceptional skill and composure, almost single-handedly carrying India’s hopes. Throughout his innings, he struggled to find an able partner at the other end as wickets tumbled around him. Only KL Rahul managed to stay with Gill for a significant period, contributing 57 runs for the third wicket partnership before falling to the bowling of Mahedi Hasan.
The middle-order collapse proved to be India’s undoing, with both Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja departing without adding much to the scoreboard. Gill found himself accompanied by Axar Patel towards the end of the innings, and Axar did provide a glimmer of hope with a courageous 42 off 34 balls. However, his dismissal dashed India’s chances of a miraculous victory.
The match’s fate was sealed when Mohammed Shami was run out off the second-to-last ball of the last over, handing Bangladesh a thrilling win.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh faced a top-order collapse after Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose to bowl. However, they were rescued by important knocks from Shakib Al Hasan, who scored 80, and Towhid Hridoy, who contributed 54 runs. These vital partnerships propelled Bangladesh to a competitive total of 265/8.
Among the Indian bowlers, Shardul Thakur was the standout performer, taking three wickets but conceding runs. Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja all contributed with wickets, keeping the pressure on Bangladesh during the initial overs.
