Melbourne, March 19 (IANS) Powered by a scintillating century from Rohit Sharma (137), India posted a challenging total of 302/6 in 50 overs in their cricket World Cup quarterfinals match against Bangladesh at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Thursday.
Rohit's 122-run fourth-wicket partnership with Suresh Raina (65) provided the platform for the defending champions to put up a big total at the 'G'. Pacer Taskin Ahmed, 19, was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers, picking up three wickets including that of Rohit.
After opting to bat, India started off quite smoothly with openers Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (30) crafting a 75-run opening wicket stand to take India through the initial overs.
The Bangladesh pacers lacked sting at the start. Seeing this, captain Mashrafe Mortaza brought in spin via Nasir Hossain in only the fifth over. When he was unsuccessful, part-time spinner Mahmudullah also turned his arm over.
Such impact-less were the Bangladeshis that Mortaza had introduced five bowlers within the first 12 overs as Dhawan and Rohit batted with ease, without taking many chances and maintaining a healthy run rate.
With none of the Bangladesh bowlers finding success, Mortaza brought in his key weapon -- Shakib Al Hasan -- and the left-arm spinner got immediate success when he had Dhawan stumped in the 17th over. It took eight more deliveries before Bangladesh struck again when fast bowler Rubel Hossain sent back Virat Kohli (3).
Bangladesh stepped up the pressure on India, curbing their run flow. Under pressure, middle-order bat Ajinkya Rahane (19) did not last lost, chipping one to mid-off to put India in more than a spot of bother at 115/3 in the 28th over.
Enter Raina. The left-hander cut loose right from the start to up the ante. Seeing his partner, Rohit also started going for the shots. Raina, who scored a match-winning unbeaten century in the last game against Zimbabwe, brought his form into this crucial contest to seven boundaries and a six in his 57-ball innings.
The two smashed 50 runs in the batting powerplay (35-40 overs) to help India reach 205/3. India have till now not lost even a single wicket in the batting powerplay, unlike other teams in the tournament.
After Raina fell in the 44th over, Rohit kept up his strokeplay to bring up his seventh One-Day International (ODI) century and become one of only three batsmen to hit two hundreds at MCG along with David Gower and Viv Richards. Rohit's ton was studded with 14 fours and three sixes.
In the end, Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 15-ball 23-run cameo helped India cross the 300-run mark with 97 runs coming off the last 10 overs.
For statistics freaks, no team has ever chased down a target of 300 or more at the huge MCG.
RBI On Cryptocurrency: RBI's big statement on cryptocurrencies, said - it threatens the dollarization of a part of the economy
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has told a parliamentary committee that cryptocurrencies could lead to the dollarization of a section of the economy. This would be against the sovereign interests of
Board Exams 2021: Due to Corona, these states postponed board exams of 10th and 12th - see full list
New Delhi With the surge in new cases of coronavirus, the situation is becoming worrisome. New cases of infection are making daily records. On the other hand, for the safety of students and teachers,
I am not joining BJP, my self-esteem has been hurt due to the notice of treason charge '
Jaipur. Sachin Pilot's reaction has come amidst the political turmoil going on in Rajasthan. He told an interview to an English magazine that I should make it clear, I am not joining BJP. I can say at
Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G's first sale today, Samsung offers on this collision phone
China's smartphone company Oppo recently launched its premium smartphone Reno 5 Pro 5G in India. Today this phone has the first cell in India. This sale has started at Flipkart at noon. Best deals are
India Vs West Indies 1st T20 Today: India has not lost the T20 series to Windies for 5 years, it can be India's playing XI in Kolkata
After capturing the ODI series, the 3-match T20 series is going to start from Wednesday. All three matches of Fatafat cricket will be played at the Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata. For this series too,
Education Budget 2025: 75 thousand seats will increase in medical colleges, IIT will expand, read other big announcements
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented the country's general budget in the Lok Sabha. In this Union Budget 2025, big announcements related to IITs, medical colleges, and artificial
Mumbai will clash with Lucknow today: MI won 6 out of 9 matches at Brabourne Stadium, Krunal will play against Mumbai Indians for the first time
Today is Super Saturday in IPL. The first match of the day will be played between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. This match will be held at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. The current tournament
Know how CBSE 10th result will be prepared without exam
CBSE 10th Exam 2021: CBSE has canceled the 10th class examination starting May 4 due to the fast-growing corona infection in the country. The class 12 examination has been postponed. After reviewing
Anti-hijab protests in Iran spread to 15 cities: three more protesters were killed, figure 8; more than a thousand arrested
Protests against the hijab, which began in Iran on 16 September, are still going on. By 21 September, it had spread to 15 cities. During this, clashes are also taking place between the police and the
Dengue Case In UP: Dengue havoc in UP, more than seven and a half thousand patients came in front, deaths due to high fever
Dengue Case In UP The number of dengue patients is increasing continuously in the state. Seven and a half thousand patients have been exposed since January 2022. Dengue is spreading rapidly in more
