India finally got over the Mustafizur Rahman threat, and in the process put on their highest total of the series in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh at Dhaka on Wednesday. Shikhar Dhawan continued his fine form with an attractive 75, while MS Dhoni continued batting at No. 4 and scored a valuable 69 as India piled on a substantial 317 for 6. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Bangladesh, 3r ODI at Dhaka
India’s innings was built on several partnerships, some brief and others productive. Rohit Sharma and Dhawan started off well, putting on 39 in seven overs before Rohit once again fell to Mustafizur. He had scored a run-a-ball 29 with two fours and a six. Virat Kohli came in at No. 3 and looked set for a big score before missing a slog off a straight ball. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: India vs Bangladesh, 3rd ODI at Dhaka
Kohli and Dhawan added 75 for the second wicket, and as they did in the last match, scored their runs at a fair clip. Kohli hit just one boundary, but he was looking quite secure in the middle. However, he suffered a brain breeze when on 25 and ended up getting bowled off a simple ball. In walked Dhoni at No. 4, and promptly added 44 with Dhawan.
Meanwhile, Dhawan was batting fluently at his end. He played some trademark drives and cuts, but would feel he missed out on a century when he pulled a short ball straight to short midwicket. His 75 had come off 73 balls with 10 boundaries. Dhawan’s dismissal brought in Ambati Rayudu, and there was another excellent partnership between them.
Rayudu gave Dhoni excellent company, running well and playing some good shots in his 49-ball 44. He was finally out to a terrible umpiring decision; he tried to play a strange cross batted shot but he missed the ball, which went off his pads to the wicketkeeper. Bangladesh appealed and were duly awarded Rayudu’s wicket. Rayudu was furious at the dismissal, and walked back in obvious disdain.
Dhoni himself was out soon thereafter, getting a leading edge off a slower ball from Mortaza for a well-compiled 69 off 77 balls. Suresh Raina and Stuart Binny then got some quick runs at the end. Raina especially got India some useful runs at the end, scoring 38 off just 21 balls, as India finally got a substantial score in the series.
Brief Scores:
India 317 for 6 in 50 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 75, MS Dhoni 69; Mashrafe Mortaza 3 for 76) vs Bangladesh.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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