Hardik Pandya headlines India's intent-filled batting display in victory over Bangladesh

India’s middle-order has been compensating for the shaky starts provided by the top three in their recent T20 World Cup games. Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) had been a standout performer, securing half-centuries in the last two victories.

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On Saturday, it was another middle-order batter headlining India’s batting performance with a quickfire half-century alright — off 27 balls at that, much like SKY against Afghanistan on Thursday. Only this time it was Hardik Pandya taking charge of the Indian innings instead and walking away with the Player of the Match award.

And it wasn’t just Pandya living up to his billing as the finest finisher in the current Indian team and one of the best of this era. The all-rounder’s knock was the icing on what was India’s most dominant batting performance so far in the tournament, with Rohit Sharma and company posting 196/5.

That they got to make first use of what was the best batting wicket that has come their way so far in the tournament would have had something to do with it. Then again, finishing within touching distance of the 200-mark might not have been possible had it not been for the intent showing by several Indian batters including, and especially, Pandya.

Read | ‘Hardik being Hardik’: Rohit all praise after Pandya stars in India’s win over Bangladesh

Intent has become a buzzword in the aftermath of India’s thumping 50-run victory over Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. It was there in abundance for India and lacking in Bangladesh batters that ended up being the difference.

It started with skipper Rohit Sharma blasting his way to 23 in just 10 deliveries, collecting three fours along with a mighty 97-metre maximum before skying the ball towards extra cover to become Shakib Al Hasan’s 50th T20 World Cup wicket — a first for any bowler.

Virat Kohli had entered double digits for the first time in the tournament in the previous game, and was even better on Saturday as he raced to 37 with the help of three sixes, before becoming the first of Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s two wickets, getting castled after advancing down the track.

Also making a couple of useful 30s were Rishabh Pant (36) and Shivam Dube (34).

Pant had scored a half-century against the same team in their only warm-up and appeared set for an encore as he suddenly hit the gas pedal at the halfway mark after a cautious start, before perishing while attempting to reverse-sweep a leg-spinner for the second time in as many matches.

Much like his unbroken 72-run stand with SKY against USA, Dube’s knock was largely in a supporting role in a 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket but did help silence some of his critics questioning his place in the XI, especially with the three mighty sixes that he had hit. And like Rohit, Kohli and Pant, he too fell while trying to play an attacking shot, getting beaten completely by Rishad Hossain.

Pandya the finisher back with a bang

While the rest of the batting lineup, sans Surya, had provided the groundwork for a solid total, it was ultimately Pandya’s blitz that helped them not only go past the 180-mark for the second match in a row, but nearly eclipse 200.

After his finishing act in the warm-up clash in New York, Pandya didn’t make much of an impact with the bat throughout the group stage but was consistently among the wickets — collecting 3/27 against Ireland along with back-to-back two-wicket hauls against Pakistan and USA.

Pandya made his first meaningful contribution with the bat this month with a 24-ball 32 against the Afghan Atalan on Thursday where he played second fiddle to SKY’s brilliance on a tricky Barbados wicket. Pandya had the chance to finish things off in style after Surya’s dismissal, which was India’s fifth with 150 on the board; Pandya, however, would join him in the dugout within an over toe-ending the ball to get caught at deep point.

Photos | 7 best pictures from India’s win over Bangladesh in Antigua

On Saturday, however, Pandya had saved his best for the final stretch, much like he did in New York on 1 June, only better. India’s run-rate had been dipping after Pant’s dismissal, and India needed one of Pandya or Dube to step up. The former obliged with a six and a four off consecutive deliveries from off-spinner Mahedi Hasan, who had conceded 14 in his first three overs.

He would then smash Rishad for a maximum down the ground in the same over in which the leg-spinner had dismissed Dube, taking the pressure back to the opposition at a moment’s notice. Pandya didn’t spare Tanzim, who was Bangladesh’s standout bowler of the day as well as their leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far, picking a slower delivery with a well-timed pull towards deep midwicket.

He would then bring up his first half-century in international cricket since last year’s Asia Cup with a flurry of boundaries off Mustafizur Rahman in the final over, with ‘Fizz’ leaking 18 in the 20th to finish wicketless for 48 runs.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had hoped to restrict the Indians to a total in the range of 160-170 after opting to field, the possibility of which appeared fairly high when Tanzim had dismissed Kohli and Surya in the ninth over. Thanks to the collective intent shown by their batters, India ended up crossing 180 for the second time in as many outings.

Pandya sticking around till the end made a world of difference too, adding another 10-15 runs to what they likely would have finished with had he departed around the same time as Dube and India would have had to rely on Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and the rest of the batting order for a proper conclusion to its innings.

“Wicket looked alright, the par would have been 180, but we got 197 I think that is like a good score here,” Pandya said during the mid-innings break, reflecting on the extra cushion that the batters were able to provide to their attack with their late charge.

Scenarios | Have India qualified for T20 World Cup semi-finals after beating Bangladesh?

Given both teams failed to reach 150 in reply and ended up suffering big defeats as a result, it’s easy to overlook the difference Pandya’s approach made to India’s batting performance made on Saturday. However, it’s little things such as these that ultimately prove to be the difference between triumph and heartbreak, especially against some of the more accomplished teams in matches as crucial as the knockouts.

For now, India’s middle-order continues to be in safe hands with someone or the other from Nos 4-7 standing up for his team and making a billion fans proud. And the manner in which the Men in Blue appearing to be peaking at the right time sure would fill a lot of fans with hope, even if they’ll continue to tread cautiously with their expectations given the events of last year’s ODI World Cup in India.