Third ODI vs Bangladesh: By playing as a team, India finally put in an emphatic performance

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The win in the third ODI, just as the defeats in first two ODIs, was never a doubt. But it did leave Dhoni and his team with an important lesson – one that they probably knew but needed reminding – a winning mentality is half the battle won.

In Indian cricket, one can’t help but feel that sometimes too little emphasis is paid to the team and too much to the individual. That was probably the case as Dhoni was singled out after the second ODI but India’s performance in the third ODI went a long way towards proving that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The most disappointing aspect of the first two defeats in this series was the manner in which India surrendered without a fight. The performances were limp. The desire to win was missing. But on Wednesday, the ’tired’ Indian players showed plenty of desire and intent to right the wrong of the series defeat.

Having been asked to bat by Mashrafe Mortaza, the Indian openers came out with purpose. Especially Rohit Sharma, who stepped down the track in the second over of the day from Mortaza to start the proceedings with a neat inside out lofted drive. He cut and drove the bad balls, and his six off Shakib Al Hasan’s first over when he danced down the track to deposit the ball beyond the ropes, was a shot that stood out.

Rohit soon perished, for the third time this series to Mustafizur Rahman, but Shikhar Dhawan carried on from there. He continued his good form from the second game, playing some delightful cover drives and punches off the back foot. With Virat Kohli looking circumspect at the other end, Dhawan never let the scoring rate drop.

Kohli got out playing an ugly slog sweep only to see his stumps rattled by a well-flighted delivery from Shakib. In walked Dhoni at No. 4, the position that has seen so much debate over the last few days.

He scored just a solitary run from the first 10 balls he faced. Just when there were murmurs as to whether this would be another laborious slugfest from the captain, Dhoni responded in style. He came down the track twice in two balls to Nasir Hossain and the result was a four and a six. The six, in particular, was vintage Dhoni – a powerful swing of the shoulders sending the ball sailing over wide long on.

Dhawan failed to capitalise on yet another start, finding the mid-wicket fielder from Mortaza’s worst delivery of the day. A good partnership was broken and in its place, a better one took shape with Ambati Rayudu putting on 93 for the fifth wicket with Dhoni. While Rayudu’s innings was largely unspectacular, Dhoni mixed some clever dabs into the gaps with a few meaty blows.

Taking the batting powerplay in the 33rd over was another signal of intent. But intent of different kind – of not losing wickets going for quick runs. Having lost three wickets in each of the batting powerplays in the first two matches, scoring 29 and 17 runs respectively, Dhoni and Rayudu played out a wicket-less spell of five overs.

Dhoni’s handling of Mustafizur was a lesson in clever cricket as he used the depth of the crease to play the ball as late as possible. The youngster, to his credit, tried to mix it up by bowling round the wicket and varying his lengths, but Dhoni woudn’t budge.

From the 38th over onwards, the onslaught began. When Mortaza bowled a ball touch short of good length, Dhoni rocked back and muscled a shot off his backfoot, that screamed past the bowler straight down the ground. It was a double-handed backhand shot down the line that Rafael Nadal would have been proud of.

He was playing like a man who had gotten a load off his chest at his last press conference.

Dhoni eventually ran out of steam perishing for 69 off 77 balls. But by the time he walked back to the pavilion, there was a growing sense that India have found the best answer for the No. 4 position. This is the man who, in fact, boasts the best average for any batsman in ODI history (minimum 1000 runs) at that slot.

The real push, however, came from Suresh Raina. Perhaps the only batsman in this current squad, who does not need to get his eye-in before stepping up the scoring rate, Raina got going immediately. He square drove Mortaza off the second ball he faced. A pull over midwicket from a Rubel Hossain full toss, a pick-up short that sailed over midwicket and a guided-cut to the third man off a yorker later, Raina had set India on course for a 300 plus total.

With a big score to defend, all you need is the bowling unit to stick to the basics and let the scoreboard exert its own pressure. And for the most part, India did just that. Umesh Yadav had a horrendous evening that might haunt him for a while, what with Dhoni’s ominous post-match comments on taking a call with fast bowlers who can’t keep their discipline.

Apart from Yadav’s erratic bowling, India were solid if not extraordinary with the ball. Bangladesh, to their credit, kept the scoring rate within check but kept losing wickets in regular intervals. Raina and Ashwin – India’s best bowlers in this series – took three wickets apiece.

It was only towards the end when Arafat Sunny decided to give an audition for a place in the Test side, playing out dot balls for fun in the death scoring 14 off 40 balls, that Bangladesh stopped trying to win. Perhaps for the first time this series.

For India, it is disappointing that it took two shocking performances to shake this Indian team into action from a post-World Cup, post-IPL slumber. But that should take nothing away from the team who ensured the winning finish a long season of cricket on a winning note. There was no one player to blame for the first two defeats and there was no one player to single out for today’s clinical performance. In the end, it all only goes to prove that you win and lose as a team.