Kuldeep, Pandya lead India to 50-run rout of Bangladesh at T20 World Cup

AFP News
·2-min read
Master blaster: Hardik Pandya on his way to an undefeated 50 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)
Master blaster: Hardik Pandya on his way to an undefeated 50 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

Leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav took three key wickets while Hardik Pandya blasted an undefeated half-century as India moved to the brink of the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 50-run rout of Bangladesh on Saturday.

Chasing 197 for victory, Bangladesh lost three of their top five batsmen to Kuldeep who removed Tanzid Hasan (29), Towhid Hridoy (four) and Shakib Al Hasan (11).

Kuldeep finished with an impressive 3-19 from his four overs.

India now have two wins from two Super Eight games and will be guaranteed a semi-final spot if Australia defeat Afghanistan later Saturday and also make the last four from Group 1.

Pandya, who had made 50 when India batted, started the slide when he took the first Bangladesh wicket, tempting opener Liton Das (13) to sky a chance.

Once skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto fell to Jasprit Bumrah for a 32-ball 40, Bangladesh's hopes went with him.

Bumrah also ended Rishad Hossain's brief 24-run cameo as the veteran seamer enjoyed figures of 2-13 in four overs before the Tigers finished their 20 overs on 146-8.

"Our top score was 50, and we still got 196," said India captain Rohit Sharma.

"In T20 you don't need fifties and hundreds, what matters is the pressure you put on the bowlers. That's how we want to play."

He added: "Hardik batting well, the way he did today, puts us in a very good place. We all know what he can do, and today was the perfect example of that. He's a very important player for us, with bat and ball."

Put in to bat, 2007 champions India saw five of their top six batsmen reach double-figures.

All-rounder Pandya top-scored with an undefeated 50 off just 27 balls with four boundaries and three sixes.

India had raced to 71-1 in seven overs with Sharma making a rapid 23 and Virat Kohli hitting his tournament best 37 off 28 balls with one four and three sixes.

The only blip was Suryakumar Yadav, who had made back-to-back fifties in his last two innings, scoring just six.

Those runs came off the first ball he faced before falling to Tanzim Hasan Sakib who had dismissed Kohli in the same over.

Rishabh Pant cracked 36 off 24 balls with Shivam Dube making 34 -- 18 of those runs coming from three sixes.

"I think we had a lot of batting options today, but we didn't show the intent we needed," admitted Shanto.

India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in their Super Eight opener in Bridgetown while Bangladesh lost to Australia by 28 runs in a rain-hit clash in Antigua.

India have now won all five T20 World Cup clashes against Bangladesh and taken their overall head-to-head record to 13-1.

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