Highlights, India vs Bangladesh 2018, Nidahas Trophy, Full cricket score: India win by 17 runs, enter final

Rohit Sharma, winning skipper and Man of the Match: It was important for me to step up. As I said in the toss, it was important for me to take my time initially. Bowling with the new ball isn’t easy for a spinner, but hats off to him (Sundar). It was not the usual wicket what we got, definitely on the slower side. One set batsman has to bat as long as possible, because the new batsman will be tough. The partnership between me and Raina was good. It takes lot of courage. It was very courageous to take the new ball from me. He’s very clear in his mind what he wants to execute. When a bowler comes to you and sets his own field, it says a lot about him. I just told him to keep it simple. I just wanted him to bowl a back-of-length ball, which is a tough to hit. From whatever I’ve seen of him, he can execute that. I can understand a little bit of nerves there, but he’s a great talent, and he’ll go strength-to-strength.

Mahmudullah, Bangladesh captain: The effort was there. A bit disappointed though; had someone stood up and made 20-30 runs it could have made a difference with Mushfiqur Rahim. The plan was to take the pace off the ball and stick to your strengths as a bowler, but they didn’t stick to that well. The good thing is that we have a chance to make it to the finals in the next game against Sri Lanka.

Rohit Sharma is the Man of the Match for his 89-run knock!

Bangladesh become the second team to lose 50 T20Is after Sri Lanka. 

Most wins in T20Is:

74 – Pakistan 

60 – South Africa, INDIA*

54 – New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Bangladesh v India in T20Is:

Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost

After 20 overs,Bangladesh 159/6 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 72 , Abu Hider 0)

Siraj bowls the final over, with Mushfiqur guiding the ball to short third man off a back-of-length delivery that angles into him. Mehedi tries heaving the ball down the ground, but fails to connect and ends up getting caught by Raina at long on. Nine runs off the next three deliveries, with Rahim collecting two boundaries off it and one being called wide for height. With the match virtually over, Siraj ensures that he does’t give away any extras, and collects dots off the last two deliveries, as Rahim remains unbeaten on 72 off 55 balls but fails to get his team through on this occasion, 

India win by 17 runs and are the first team to book their place in the final. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh now face off in a virtual semi-final on Friday.

Dot balls off the last two deliveries of the innings, and India are through to the final with a 17-run victory against Bangladesh!

Lack of muscle power cost Bangladesh the match. Power hitting is such a vital ingredient of this format of cricket and Bangladesh, for all their spirit, lacked that. The wayward Indian  pace bowlers got away cheap. Their bowling is a worry. May be spinner Suresh Raina may have to bowl more than an over or two in the final.

FOUR! Mushfiqur carves this one through extra-cover, though the shots are coming a tad late, with Bangladesh needing 18 off 2. BAN 159/6

FOUR! Mushfiqur guides the short-of-length delivery over short third man to collect his seventh boundary! BAN 154/6

OUT! Mehedi tries going big down the ground, but ends up holing out to Raina at long-off, as Siraj collects his first wicket — using the knuckle ball to good effect on this occasion. BAN 150/6

Mehedi c Raina b Siraj 7(6)

Siraj to bowl the final over of the innings.

Players conceding 40-plus runs in most conseuctive T20I innings:

4 – Christopher Mpofu
3 – Dernbach/Tim Southee/Taylor/Trent Boult/Mohammed Siraj*

After 19 overs,Bangladesh 149/5 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 63 , Mehidy Hasan 7)

Rahim smacks the ball through covers off the first ball of the over, coming back for a second after Pandey cuts the ball off in the deep. Single collected off each of the third and fourth deliveries. Just five off the over, with Thakur signing off with figures of 1/37 from four overs. He conceded 19 off his first, and 18 off the next three while collecting the wicket of Rahman. 

Bangladesh need a massive 28 off the last six balls. Rahim, batting on 63, will be on strike.

Siraj is inexperienced and hence will be under pressure. Advantage for him is that Bangladesh have a huge hill to still climb and the odd boundary should not worry him. It’s now down to 33 runs from 12 deliveries

After 18 overs,Bangladesh 144/5 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 59 , Mehidy Hasan 6)

Rahim starts off with back-to-back boundaries, extending Siraj a rough welcome back into the attack, with the Bangladeshi keeper-batsman bringing up his second consecutive T20I half-century. Makes it back-to-back boundaries, shuffling to his right off the next ball and scooping it over the keeper. Siraj concedes a no-ball called for height, missing a run-out chance at the same time with Rahim setting off for the non-striker’s end. Mehedi makes the most of the free-hit, carving the ball towards backward point for a four. Expensive over for Siraj, with 16 coming off it.

FOUR! Mehedi carves a full delivery outside off towards the backward point fence, collecting his first boundary! BAN 144/5

FOUR! Back-to-back fours for Rahim, as he shuffles to his right, and goes for a scoop shot that sends the ball straight over the keeper’s head! BAN 136/5

FOUR! Cut away towards the backward point boundary, and Rahim brings up his second consecutive half-century! A quality innings, coming at a time when Bangladesh were down in the dumps with the scorecard reading 61/4. BAN 132/5

Most runs for Bangladesh in T20Is:

1320 – Tamim Iqbal 

1223 – Shakib Al Hasan 

955* – MUSHFIQUR RAHIM*

953 – Mahmudullah

After 17 overs,Bangladesh 128/5 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 49 , Mehidy Hasan 1)

Thakur is brought back into the attack, with Sabbir hammering him towards the midwicket fence for a four off the second delivery. Thakur however, hits back two balls later, clipping his off-stump to send him back for 27. Eight runs and a wicket off the over. 49 needed for Bangladesh off 18.

BOWLED EM! Swing and a miss, and Sabbir is starting to trudge back to the dressing room, as Thakur gets the much-needed breakthrough for the Indians by clipping the batsman’s off-stump with a knuckle ball! BAN 126/5

Sabbir b Thakur 27(23)

FOUR! Hammered away towards the midwicket fence by Rahman, who is starting to respond to the mounting pressure! BAN 124/4

Shardul Thakur brought back into the attack in the 17th over.

After 16 overs,Bangladesh 120/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 48 , Sabbir Rahman 21)

Sundar’s brought back into the attack for his final over, and keeps it tight to build further pressure on the Bangladeshis, giving away just four runs off it, including a double to Rahim off the last delivery. Bangladesh need another 57 off the last four overs. Sundar, meanwhile, signs off with figures of 3/22.

Washington Sunda brought back for his final over. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have recovered well so far.

After 15 overs,Bangladesh 116/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 45 , Sabbir Rahman 20)

Shankar’s brought back into the attack in the 15th over. Rahim collects a single at the start of the over, before Sabbir collects a double to bring up the fifty-stand for the fifth wicket. Seven off the over, with two coming off the last delivery, as Rahman guides the ball towards square-leg.

FIFTY-PARTNERSHIP up between Mushfiqur and Sabbir, with the latter flicking a full delivery from Shankar towards long-leg, where the fielder nearly pulls off a stunner, and ends up saving two runs for the Indians. Has been a useful stand for Bangladesh so far, with the Tigers back in the hunt for now. BAN 112/4

VIjay Shankar brought back into the attack in the 15th over.

After 14 overs,Bangladesh 109/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 43 , Sabbir Rahman 15)

Thakur returns to the attack, and bowls an over that is in complete contrast to his 19-run first over, as he gives away just five singles off it, with Rahim and Rahman being forced to rotate the strike between themselves.

Shardul Thakur back into the attack. He has conceded 19 off the only over that he has bowled so far, and will be understandably nervous.

After 13 overs,Bangladesh 104/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 40 , Sabbir Rahman 13)

Four runs off the first four deliveries, including a leg bye, as Chahal is brought back into the attack one final time. Would’ve been a good over, had it not been for the six off his last ball of the evening that Rahman smashes over the cow-corner for a six. 10 off the over, with Bangladesh’s run-rate now touching eight an over.

SIX! Rahman rocks back, and lofts the ball towards the leg side, with the ball landing beyond the midwicket fence! Brings up the 100 for Bangladesh! BAN 104/4

Yuzvendra Chahal brought back into the attack.

After 12 overs,Bangladesh 94/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 38 , Sabbir Rahman 6)

Rahim smacks a full delivery outside off towards the extra-cover fence to collect his fourth boundary. Comes back for a second run next ball after guiding it towards midwicket. Rahman collects his first boundary with a swing of the bat that sends the ball running towards the long-leg boundary. Two runs collected by Rahim off the last ball. 14 off the over, with 30 coming off the last two. Some recovery for the Bangladeshis.

FOUR! First boundary for Rahman, as he swings his bat to send the ball flying towards the long-leg fence. BAN 91/4

FOUR! Rahim continues to attack, as he slogs a full delivery from Shankar outside off towards the extra-cover fence! BAN 84/4

Bangladesh targeted the wrong bowler and paid the price. Their chase has run around and losing 4 wickets to the spinners has cooked them. The batsmen went after the steadiest bowler, Washington Sundar and flopped. The loss of those early wickets will hit them hard when the spinners are off duty. Looks like there was no planning in the chase

After 11 overs,Bangladesh 80/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 29 , Sabbir Rahman 1)

Appeal for caught behind at the start of Siraj’s second over, though the sound on this occasion was that of Rahim’s bat hitting his pad. Rahim then collects fours off successive deliveries guiding it towards cow-corner and third man respectively. Charges down the pitch and hammers the ball towards the long-off boundary cushion to collect his first six. 16 off the over — a much-needed one for the Tigers.

SIX! Rahim charges down the pitch, and clears the long-off fence with a clean hit! BAN 79/4

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Rahim, as he guides this one towards third man with a deft touch! The fielder was too square to be able to stop the ball on time. BAN 72/4

FOUR! A welcome boundary for Bangladesh, with Rahim charging down the pitch and pulling towards the cow-corner fence! BAN 68/4

Mohammed Siraj back into the attack in the 11th over.

After 10 overs,Bangladesh 64/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 14 , Sabbir Rahman 1)

Shankar into his second over. Rahim gets a single off the third delivery after a couple of dots, with Dhawan’s sharp fielding at mid-off preventing them from collecting any more. Single to Rahman off the fourth delivery, getting him off the mark. Another tight piece of fielding by Dhawan at mid-off that allows Mushfiqur just a single. Three off the over. Bangladesh’s run-rate is a meagre 6.4 right now, with their asking rate climbing to 11.

Washington Sundar is also the youngest Indian to take three wickets in a T20I innings. The previous youngest was Axar Patel (21 years and 178 days). It happened against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2015.

After 9 overs,Bangladesh 61/4 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 12 , Sabbir Rahman 0)

Chahal starts his third over off with a wide. Mahmudullah strikes the ball down the ground with a lot of power, but is able to get only a single. Another wide off the second legal delivery. Three legal deliveries later, we have Mahmudullah holing out to Rahul at deep midwicket, with the Tigers sinking further in their chase. Sabbir walks out to bat, with the last two deliveries going for dots. Four runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! First wicket for Chahal, and this time it is the skipper Mahmudullah who has to depart! Pulls towards deep midwicket, but doesn’t get the distance, with the ball landing in Rahul’s palms. BAN 61/4

Mahmudullah c Rahul b Chahal 11(8)

After 8 overs,Bangladesh 57/3 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 11 , Mahmudullah (C) 10)

Shankar’s introduced into the attack in the eighth over of the innings, and he keeps it tight by giving away just four singles off it, with Bangladesh’s asking rate now climbing to 10 an over.

Washington Sundar has now taken seven wickets in this series – the joint most by a bowler before the age of 20 in Sri Lanka in T20Is. Akila Dananjaya also took seven wickets.

Vijay Shankar brought into the attack in the eighth over of the innings.

After 7 overs,Bangladesh 53/3 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 9 , Mahmudullah (C) 8)

Five runs collected off Chahal’s second over, four of which are collected off the second delivery, with Rahim going for a reverse-sweep that sends the ball flying towards the backward point boundary. Bangladesh are currently progressing at seven-and-a-half an over.

FOUR! First boundary for Rahim, as he goes for a reverse sweep, and sends it towards the backward point boundary! BAN 52/3

Brilliant bowling by Washington Sundar, He has three wickets for 18 runs in three overs. He has derailed Bangladesh’s chase with a wicket in each of his 3 overs, all during the powerplay overs. The spinners have made up for India’s poor fast bowling resources in powerplay.

After 6 overs,Bangladesh 48/3 ( Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 4 , Mahmudullah (C) 8)

Mixed over for Sundar. Not only does he get the huge wicket of Tamim, who misses while looking to pull a back-of-length delivery — getting his leg-stump rattled in the process — but ends up conceding back-to-back fours to Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah, who’s batting on 8 off 2 balls at the end of the over. Bangladesh look shaky in their chase at the end of the powerplay.

FOUR! Mahmudullah decides to attack Sundar right away, as he shuffles down the pitch and lofts the ball down the ground! BAN 48/3

FOUR! Nice way for Mahmudullah, the skipper, to get off the mark, as he cuts a back-of-length delivery outside off towards the point boundary. BAN 44/3

BOWLED EM! What a spell this is turning out to be from Sundar! Bowls a back-of-length delivery along leg, with the ball crashing onto the leg stump after Tamim misses it completely while looking for a slog. BAN 40/3

Tamim b Sundar 27(19)

After 5 overs,Bangladesh 39/2 ( Tamim Iqbal 27 , Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 3)

Chahal’s brought into the attack in the fifth over. Bowling along good lines from the bowler, as well as some good fielding helps Chahal keep it tight in this over, giving away just three off it.

Yuzvendra Chahal brought into the attack in the fifth over of the innings.

Dinesh Karthik becomes the fourth keeper to do 50 stumpings in T20 cricket after Kamran Akmal, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara.

Batsmen have been known to disregard field placings and go for shots irrespective of traps set. Sharadul Thakur is probably the first bowler to disregard his skipper’s field placing and bowl whatever he wants. Not surprisingly he conceded 3 boundaries and a six. Bowling short when he didn’t have a fielder deep in the legside or giving width when he did not have a cover deep. Luckily Washington Sundar made up for Thakur’s illogical bowling by bagging 2 quick wickets

The highest score for Bangladesh while chasing against India is 155/8 which they made it at Nottingham in 2009.

After 4 overs,Bangladesh 36/2 ( Tamim Iqbal 26 , Mushfiqur Rahim (W) 1)

Sundar bowls another gem of an over, as he gets rid of Sarkar by rattling his leg stump while giving away five runs to once again push Bangladesh on the backfoot. Mushfiqur, Bangladesh’ hero in their chase of the 215-run target in the previous game, walks out to bat earlier than he would’ve expected.

BOWLED EM! What a spell this is turning out to be for Sundar! Sarkar misses an arm ball from Sundar that skids and rattles his leg stump! BAN 35/2

Sarkar b Sundar 1(3)

After 3 overs,Bangladesh 31/1 ( Tamim Iqbal 24 , Soumya Sarkar 0)

Thakur is brought into the attack for the third over of the innings, and is taken to the cleaners thanks to the brilliance of Tamim, who hits him all over the park to collect three fours and a six, aside from a single, with 19 coming off the over.

FOUR! Tamim’s on a roll right now! Pulls this one towards the midwicket fence! BAN 30/1

SIX! What an over this is turning out to be for the Bangladeshis! Thakur bangs this one short outside leg, and invites a hook from Tamim that guides the ball over the fine-leg fence! BAN 26/1

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Tamim, as he guides this one towards the backward point fence, placing it wide of the fielder running in from third man. BAN 20/1

FOUR! Iqbal makes room for a cracking cover drive, getting his placement right on the occasion as well!  BAN 16/1

Shardul Thakur brought into the attack for the third over.

After 2 overs,Bangladesh 12/1 ( Tamim Iqbal 5 , Soumya Sarkar 0)

Das misses a full toss from Sundar after coming down the pitch. However, the Indians appeal for lbw, and for some reason, decide to review it. Turns out to be a horrible call from the Indians, with the impact itself being outside off. Das shuffles down the pitch, and collects his first boundary by smacking the ball towards the long-off fence. However, he’s out the next ball as he misses a back-of-length delivery outside off, with Karthik whipping the bails off in a flash. Four runs and a wicket off a fine over from Sundar.

OUT! Sundar shortens the length, keeping it outside off, and Das misses after advancing down the track, misses and gets stumped. BAN 12/1

Das st Karthik b Sundar 7(7)

FOUR! Das connects after coming down the track, and goes inside-out towards the long-off fence. BAN 12/0

This is one of the most inexperienced bowling attacks to represent India in recent times. They will be tested as Bangladesh go after the target. Good opportunity for Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Vijay Shankar and Shardul Thakur to put up their hand and be counted

Washington Sundar brought into the attack for the second over of the innings. As usual, it’s a seamer and a spinner at the start of the innings.

After 1 overs,Bangladesh 8/0 ( Tamim Iqbal 5 , Liton Das 3)

Tamim smokes a back-of-length delivery from Siraj through backward point off the second delivery to get the first runs on the board with a boundary. Brings Das on strike with a single two balls later, with the latter collecting a double after guiding the ball towards midwicket. Eight off the over.

FOUR! Tamim smokes a back-of-length delivery outside off through point! Majestic from the veteran opener.  BAN 4/0

Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das open the innings for Bangladesh, with Mohammed Siraj — who replaces Jaydev Unadkat today — opening the bowling for India.

India today:

First 10 overs: 71/1 

Next 10 overs: 105/2

Terrific partnership between Rohit and Raina.  They built on a slow start of just 71 runs in the first 10 overs to later switch to top gear. They blasted away to add 102 runs in just 56 balls. Raina gave the stand great impetus with a 30-ball 47. The second 10 overs were very good  for India. Rohit came up with a brilliant finish scoring 30 runs off 10 balls to make a cracking  89 off 61 balls. India’s final total of 176 for 3 would be very challenging for Bangladesh

After 20 overs,India 176/3 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 2 , )

Rubel is brought back for the final over of the innings, and he gets the wicket of Raina straightaway, as the southpaw gets caught by Sarkar at deep midwicket while going for a flick. Rohit is hit on the thigh off the next ball, but sets off for a run nevertheless. Singles exchanged off the next two deliveries, with Rohit getting an inside-edge onto his pad off the fourth delivery that fetches him only a single. The Indian skipper is run out off the last ball, hitting it in Rubel’s direction, with the bowler collecting it and disturbing the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Four runs and two wickets off an excellent final over by Rubel.

OUT! Rohit Sharma is dismissed off the last ball of the innings, as he hits the ball towards the bowler. Rubel picks the ball up after a fumble, and ends up disturbing the furniture at the non-striker’s end. IND 176/3

India finish on 176/3 after 20 overs

Rohit run out (Rubel) 89(61)

Four century stands for the second wicket have been registered for India in T20Is and Rohit Sharma is part of each of them.

OUT! Raina misses out on a half-century, as he flicks a full delivery straight into the hands of the fielder at deep midwicket! A quality innings from the southpaw nevertheless. IND 172/2

Raina c Sarkar b Rubel 47(30)

Rubel Hossain back into the attack, and he will bowl the final over.

After 19 overs,India 172/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 88 , Suresh Raina 47)

Raina collects a single off the second ball to bring Rohit back on strike, with Rohit collecting back-to-back fours to bring up the 100-stand with Raina. 11 off the over, as Mustafizur signs off with figures of 0/38. Meanwhile, Rohit’s on 88, though he won’t be on strike at the start of the final over.

Most 75-plus scores in T20Is:

8 – Chris Gayle 

6 – Martin Guptill, Mahela Jayawardene, Virat Kohli, ROHIT SHARMA* 

5 – Tillakaratne Dilshan

The importance of set batsmen staying till the end on pitches of doubtful pace is evident in this game. Rohit and Raina who struggled early on are now so well set that they are going after the bowling with tremendous purpose and success. These death overs might take the match away from Bangladesh. Their bowlers did so well at the start. But now after conceding 21 runs in the 18th over they are getting hammered

FOUR! Back-to-back fours for Rohit, and he brings up the 100-stand with Raina in the process! Places the wide full toss wide of short third man. IND 170/1

Most sixes for India in T20Is:

75 – ROHIT SHARMA*

74 – Yuvraj Singh 

54 – Suresh Raina

FOUR! Carved over point by Rohit, with Mustafizur missing a full toss and bowling a full toss. IND 166/1

After 18 overs,India 161/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 79 , Suresh Raina 45)

Massive over for the Indians, with Abu Hider signing off with figuresof 0/43 from four overs, with 21 coming off his last over. Rohit smacks the ball towards the leg side twice in the over, while Raina hits it clears it towards the cow-corner fence off the fourth delivery of the over.

SIX! Third six of the over, as Rohit smacks a full toss towards the leg side, with the ball landing on the grass beyond the wide long-on fence! IND 161/1

SIX! The big hits are starting to flow for the Indians now! Raina rocks back, and launches the ball towards the cow-corner fence! Brings up the 150 for India. IND 154/1

SIX! Pulled away by Rohit on the front foot, with the ball landing beyond the midwicket fence! IND 147/1

Abu Hider brought back into the attack in the 18th over.

After 17 overs,India 140/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 66 , Suresh Raina 37)

Mustafizur returns in the 17th over, and bowls an expensive one for a change. Raina makes room off the second delivery, and guides the ball towards the third man fence for his fifth boundary. Two balls later, Rohit gets down on one knee, and smacks the ball to clear the square-leg fence. 14 off the over.

SIX! Well-timed slog by Rohit, as he clears the square-leg fence with ease, with the catch being taken by a spectator in the stands. IND 138/1

FOUR! Raina makes room, and opens the face of his bat to guide the ball towards the vacant third man fence. IND 131/1

Mustafizur Rahman brought back into the attack in the 17th over.

Slowest fifties for Rohit Sharma in T20Is:

44 v West Indies, Mirpur, 2014
44 v Ireland, Trent Bridge, 2009
42 v New Zealand, Delhi, 2017
42 v Bangladesh, Mirpur, 2016
42 v Bangladesh, today*

After 16 overs,India 126/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 58 , Suresh Raina 31)

Skipper Mahmudullah brings himself into the attack in the 16th over. Rohit collects a single off the first ball, before Raina smashes one towards the midwicket fence to bring up the fifty-stand with Rohit. Five singles off the over aside from the four, with nine coming off the over.

India in a terrific position to make a massive assault in the last 5 overs. They have 9 wickets in hand and a decent total at this stage. The two set batsmen at the crease should be the drivers in the thrust

FOUR!  Raina, having taken his helmet off, smacks the ball towards the midwicket fence to bring up the  fifty-stand with Rohit for the second wicket!  IND 122/1

Mahmudullah brings himself into the attack in the 16th over.

After 15 overs,India 117/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 55 , Suresh Raina 25)

Rohit collects a double off the first ball of the over, guiding it down the ground, before he brings Raina on strike with a single off the following delivery. Raina then collects fours off back-to-back deliveries, the first one being the result of a misfield near the long-stop fence. 13 off the over.

FOUR! Back-to-back fours for Raina, as he smacks this one over mid-on! IND 115/1

FOUR! Raina gets a top-edge that sends the ball flying towards the long-stop boundary. Should’ve been a couple of runs at max, except, Mustafizur makes a mess after misjudging the path of the ball, and allows it to touch the boundary rope. IND 111/1

Most 50-plus scores in T20Is:

18 – Virat Kohli 

16 – Martin Guptill 

15 – Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum. ROHIT SHARMA*

Rubel Hossain brought back into the attack in the 15th over.

After 14 overs,India 104/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 52 , Suresh Raina 15)

Rohit collects a single at the start of the over, with Raina collecting a six and a four off back-to-back deliveries to signal his intent to attack the bowlers now. 11 off the over. Another six overs left in the Indian innings.

That 50 should take a load off Rohit Sharma. He has had a horrid two months and the 50 should put him in a better frame of mind. He looks well set and must now make it count as India seek to up the scoring rate and take the total towards 160-170.

FOUR! Raina lofts the ball down the ground, and he clearly is in a mood to attack now! IND 104/1

SIX! Raina clears the midwicket fence with ease to collect his first six! Brings up the 100 for India. IND 100/1

Mehedi Hasan brought back into the attack in the 14th over.

After 13 overs,India 93/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 51 , Suresh Raina 5)

Singles exchanged off the first two deliveries, before Rohit shuffles forward and unleashes a sweep against a full delivery from Hider to collect his third boundary. The Indian captain collects a single off the next ball to bring up a much-needed half-century. Single collected off each of the last two deliveries, with nine coming off the over.

FIFTY for Rohit Sharma — his 13th in T20I cricket as well as his third against Bangladesh in the format! Takes 42 deliveries to get to the milestone! More importantly, he breaks the rut of low scores that had been building pressure on him for the last few games. IND 91/1

FOUR! Rohit shuffles forward, and actually sweeps a pacer! Guides it over short fine to collect his third boundary. IND 90/1

Abu Hider reintroduced in the 13th over.

After 12 overs,India 84/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 44 , Suresh Raina 3)

The Fizz brought back into the attack in the 12th over. Raina guides the ball towards mid-on for a single. Rohit collects a double three deliveries later, placing the ball towards square leg, before collecting a single off the following delivery. Just four off the over.

Mustafizur brought back into the attack in the 12th over.

After 11 overs,India 80/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 41 , Suresh Raina 2)

Nazmul into his final over. Raina collects a single off the third delivery after a couple of dots. Rohit shuffles down the pitch, and launches the ball towards the long-on fence off the penultimate delivery, before grabbing a double off the last delivery. Nine off the over.

SIX! Rohit makes his way down the ground, and launches the ball towards the long on fence! IND 78/1

The spinners have done very well for Bangladesh. The pacers too are taking pace off the ball very subtly. The slow pitch may be the reason.  Rohit Sharma is going at a slow run a ball. But Dhawan, the more aggressive batsman, also did not have a hectic strike rate before he played inside the line and was bowled by Rubel for 35 off 27 balls. Bangladesh have kept a check on the scoring rate in the first half of the innings. A mere 71/1 in 10 overs. With better fielding they might have picked up more than a couple of wickets.

After 10 overs,India 71/1 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 33 , Suresh Raina 1)

Rohit gets an inside-edge off the first ball of Rubel’s second over, and sets for a single as the ball rolls towards Mushfiqur. Singles off the third and fourth deliveries, before Rubel gets the breakthrough, uprooting Dhawan’s middle stump with a well-aimed yorker. Raina walks out to bat, and directs the ball towards the man placed at fine-leg, where the ball lands just short of him.

BOWLED EM! Rubel finally gets the breakthrough! Uproots Dhawan’s middle-stump with a yorker, with the southpaw bringing his bat down a tad late. IND 70/1

Dhawan b Rubel 35(27)

This is the first time that Rohit Sharma has scored 25-plus runs in a T20I innings in 2018.

Rubel Hossain brought back to the attack in the 10th over.

It’s important that India haven’t lost a wicket in the 9 overs so far. The run rate might be slow, around 8 only. But with wickets in hand the later batsmen can really make a charge from the 14th over or so. The pitch seems to be slow thus far. If there is no dew fall or drizzle it should stay thus later too.

After 9 overs,India 67/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 31 , Shikhar Dhawan 34)

Dhawan collects a single off a reverse sweep at the start of Nazmul’s third over. Singles collected off the next two deliveries, with Bangladesh keeper Mushfiqur appealing for an lbw although Dhawan appears to get an inside edge. Good over from Nazmul’s perspective, with four coming off it.

Shikhar Dhawan has been the key with this Indian batting line-up. He attacks the bowlers with a consistency that allows the other batsmen to settle in. In this game too he is taking the fight to the bowlers and messing up their line and length and even thinking.

After 8 overs,India 63/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 29 , Shikhar Dhawan 32)

Rohit Sharma collects a run at the start of the over, guiding the ball down the ground. Dhawan rocks back, and pulls the back-of-length delivery towards the square-leg fence with authority. Four runs collected off the remainder of the over, with nine coming off the over.

FOUR! No mishit off Dhawan’s bat this time as he smashes the ball towards the square-leg boundary! IND 59/0

Mehedi Hasan brought back into the attack in the eighth over.

After 7 overs,India 54/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 27 , Shikhar Dhawan 26)

Rohit collects a single at the start of the over to bring up the fifty-partnership with Dhawan. The latter tries going for a big hit two balls later, but nearly gets caught at deep midwicket by Liton, who not only spills the catch but allows the ball to touch the boundary rope. Appeal for lbw off the fifth delivery, but no interest from the umpire. Five off the over.

FOUR! Dhawan tries going aerial towards midwicket, and doesn’t quite time his slog. Liton tries positioning himself for the catch near the boundary, but ends up misjudging it, with the ball eventually touching the boundary cushion. IND 54/0

FIFTY-partnership up between Dhawan and Rohit for the opening wicket, with the latter collecting a single at the start of the seventh over to bring up the milestone.

Good opportunity for Rohit Sharma to come good. He offered a tough catch to mid on when he mishit a skied shot  off the pacer Rubel Hossain in the 3rd over. But now with swing off he has a chance to come good. Some good shots and a few streaky ones from him so far. India have seen through the powerplay 6 overs without losing a wicket. 49/0 is extremely encouraging

After 6 overs,India 49/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 26 , Shikhar Dhawan 22)

Rohit gets an outside edge off a back-of-the-hand slower ball from Hider, who returns to the attack, with the ball running away to the third man fence. Singles collected off the next three deliveries. Dot off the fifth delivery, with Dhawan launching the ball over mid-off to collect his third boundary. 11 off the over, with India collecting 49 off the powerplay.

Most partnership runs for the opening wicket in T20Is:

1108 – David Warner/Shane Watson

876* – ROHIT SHARMA/ SHIKHAR DHAWAN*

870 – Martin Guptill/ Kane Williamson

FOUR! Dhawan launches the ball over mid-off, with the ball bouncing a couple of times before crossing over the boundary rope! Nice way to end the powerplay! IND 49/0

FOUR! Hider tries deceiving Rohit with a back-of-hand slower ball, but it works against him despite getting the better of the batsman, as the outside edge off Rohit’s bat directs the ball towards the vacant third man fence. IND 42/0

Change of ends for Abu Hider, as he is brought back to bowl the last over of powerplay.

After 5 overs,India 38/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 20 , Shikhar Dhawan 17)

Mehedi Hasan introduced into the attack. Rohit and Dhawan exchange singles off the first two deliveries. Rohit gets underneath a delivery bowling along leg, and swings his bat towards the midwicket boundary, clearing it with ease to collect his first six. Squeezes the ball towards deep backward point, getting enough time to come back for a third run. 11 runs collected off the over.

SIX! First six for Rohit, who gets down on one knee, and heaves the ball towards the midwicket boundary, clearing it with ease! IND 35/0

Mehedi Hasan Miraz introduced in the fifth over.

After 4 overs,India 27/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 10 , Shikhar Dhawan 16)

Mustafizur’s introduced in the fourth over of the innings, and he hardly makes any errors in the first five deliveries of the over, allowing just three singles. The Fizz though, overpitches in his last delivery, putting it in the hitting zone for Dhawan, who shuffles down the ground and deposits it in front of the sight screen. Nine off the over.

SIX! Mustafizur errs in length, and pays the price for it, as Dhawan shuffles down the pitch and launches the ball over long-on! IND 27/0

Mustafizur ‘The Fizz’ Rahman introduced into the attack in the fourth over.

Shikhar Dhawan has been dismissed only once in single-digit score in 2018. It happened in the last game against Sri Lanka at Colombo (RPS). Right  now, he is only one run away from a double-digit score.

After 3 overs,India 18/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 8 , Shikhar Dhawan 9)

Rohit guides the ball towards sweeper point for a single at the start of Rubel’s first over. Dhawan advances down the pitch three balls later, and taps the ball down the ground for a single. Rohit survives what would’ve been another low score after chipping the ball over to the area between mid-off and mid-on, with Hider nearly pulling off a blinder after running to his left. Dhawan ends the over with a cracking cover drive that fetches him his second boundary. Seven off the over.

FOUR! Dhawan unleashes a cracking cover drive off the last delivery of Rubel’s first over! IND 18/0

Rubel Hossain replaces Abu Hider. Third bowler in as many overs.

After 2 overs,India 11/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 6 , Shikhar Dhawan 4)

Rohit welcomes left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam into the attack with a loft towards the long-on fence to collect the first boundary of the innings. Smacks the ball down the ground four deliveries later for a single to bring Dhawan on strike, who then gets off the mark with a boundary by guiding the ball wide of short fine leg. Nine off the over.

FOUR! This one’s sprayed down leg by Nazmul, with Dhawan bringing his bat down for a paddle, placing it wide of short fine to get off the mark with a four. IND 11/0

Rohit Sharma was really worked over in the opening over by young Abu Hider the left arm pacer. Hider kept the batsman guessing by getting the ball to move either way. The white ball won’t swing beyond 2 overs.

FOUR! First boundary for India, as Rohit rocks back and lofts the ball wide of mid-on. IND 6/0

Nazmul Islam introduced into the attack from the other end, with Bangladesh opting to use a seamer and spinner at the start of the innings, not very different from the tactics of India and Sri Lanka.

After 1 overs,India 2/0 ( Rohit Sharma (C) 1 , Shikhar Dhawan 0)

Abu Hider starts off for the Bangladeshis. Rohit taps the ball towards cover off the first ball for a dot, before getting troubled by a delivery that angles into him, wiht an inside-edge saving him from what would’ve been a very tight lbw appeal. The umpire signals wide off the third delivery, with Rohit setting off for a single two deliveries later. Two off the over.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan walk out to bat at the start of the Indian innings, with Abu Hider, who replaces Taskin Ahmed in the Bangladesh team, bowling the first over.

Rohit Sharma’s batting average in T20Is in 2018 is 10.00. He has scored 60 runs from six innings so far.

India put in to bat. India would keep an eye on the skies. Hopefully rains will stay away, though at this time of the year it is never far off in Sri Lanka. Team batting second would be at an advantage if Duckworth-Lewis Rain Rule comes into play. Many ex-cricketers and coaches have said the DL rule was a rubbish for T20 cricket. But ICC has stuck to it. Bangladesh have done themselves a favour by winning toss and chasing

The teams who have batted second, won all the matches in this tournament so far. Bangladesh will chase today.

Bangladesh have won only two of their last 15 T20Is. Moreover, they have never beaten India in T20Is.

India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (w), Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Bangladesh XI: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Mahmudullah (c), Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Abu Hider, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam

“I was thinking at one point we have to bat. It’s a good wicket, will remain the same for 40 overs. We just have to play good cricket. Spending more time in the middle is more important than playing too many shots,” says India skipper Rohit Sharma.

Just one change in the Indian team — Mohammed Siraj comes in place of Jaydev Unadkat.

“The wicket looks dry, and spin will come into play, so we’d like to use the conditions. The wicket gets better and better,” says Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah. 

Abu Hider comes in place of Taskin Ahmed in Bangladesh’s only change.

TOSS: Bangladesh win the toss, and skipper Mahmudullah opts to bowl first.

Pitch report: There is dry grass on the surface. There might be some opportunity for some pacers to get some purchase off the wicket because there are a few cracks. 170-180 would be a good score. Don’t think the toss will play a big role, says Brett Lee at the inspection.

Right then, 15 minutes for the toss. Remember, a win would put India into the final.

Shardul Thakur, who leaked 27 runs in an over against Sri Lanka in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018, snared four wickets on Monday and was adjudged as the Man of the Match. Asked whether he was under pressure in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, a confident Thakur said,  “I have told one thing before: I love challenges. I am taking it as a challenge. If other senior bowlers are missing from the team, then I have to step up. I have done this previously for other teams that I have played for. I have come in place of Zaheer Khan, Dhawal Kulkarni and Ajit Agarkar while playing for Mumbai (in Ranji Trophy). I had to step up in that role. When senior bowlers are rested, I have to step up and fill that role to lead the pace attack.”

There is a possibility of showers in Colombo in the evening just like the previous match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018. So much so, that Bangladesh have prepared themselves mentally for a stop-start kind game. But the groundsmen of Sri Lanka are arguably the best in the world and even if it rains, one can expect them to prepare the ground just in time for the game.

It is a sign of how strong the Indian batting is that despite Rohit Sharma’s poor form, they have managed to chase down a total in two consecutive matches. But sooner or later, Rohit’s lean patch will hurt the Indian team. He is too good a player to be not contributing regularly. Take away his ODI century in South Africa and Rohit’s average in limited-overs cricket in the last three months might not even cross 20. Usually, a couple of successive good innings bring Rohit back into form and he will be itching to get back amongst the runs in Colombo today.

KL Rahul’s comeback into the Indian team wasn’t quite memorable. He never looked comfortable during his stay at the crease and was eventually dismissed for for 18 off 17 balls. But a promising player like him will surely get another chance (barring a last-minute injury) and the Karnataka batsman must cash in on these opportunities.

A win here will guarantee India a passage into the final on Sunday, with everything to play for in the Sri Lanka versus Bangladesh match on Friday. A win for Bangladesh on Wednesday will give their hopes of qualifying for the final a big boost, writes Firstpost writer Debdutta Bhattacharjee. 

Click here to read his preview.

Bangladesh pacer Tasking Ahmed’s performance in the last two matches have been underwhelming. He has taken two wickets but has also failed to finish his quota of four overs. In his side’s first match his economny was 9.33 and it increased to 13.33 in the second. Shortly before the Nidahas Trophy 2018 had begun, the interim head coach Courtney Walsh had held a camp for pace bowlers, which focussed on consistency and mental strength. 

Having been a part of that camp, one can expect Taskin to bounce back. But can he do that? Only time will tell. One thing is certain, this is a very important match for him.

Mahmudullah, who has been appointed as the Bangladesh captain in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence, has urged that they want to ‘create a Bangladesh brand of cricket’.

“I think the skills are there. We need to be smart to take that calculated risk. Taking on a particular bowler who we think can be targeted, these sort of things we need to apply when we are playing. These things will give us that Bangladesh brand of T20 cricket.”

Buoyed by their magnificent chase of 215 against Sri Lanka, the confidence in the Bangladesh camp must be skyrocketing. Remember, the last few months haven’t been the best for Bangladesh. They were blown away in South Africa and also outclassed by Sri Lanka in their own backyard. Amid all this, they also lost the services of Chandika Hathurusingha. But the victory on Saturday has the potential to change it all. It will provide them enough confidence to emulate a similar performance against India. So, even if the odds are stacked up against Mahmudullah and Co have it in them to spring a surprise today in Colombo.

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the 5th match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 which will be played between India and Bangladesh in Colombo.