Bowlers Won Us The Game, Says Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma-led India thrashed Bangladesh by 30 runs in the third T20I to seal the series 2-1. Deepak Chahar was the star of the show, picking up 6 for 7 to derail Bangladesh’s innings. Along with Chahar, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also made their mark by scoring fifties to help India post a challenging total of 174 for 5.

Asked to bat first, India were off to a poor start as Rohit Sharma departed for just 2. Shikhar Dhawan’s poor form also continued as he managed just 19. However, Rahul and Iyer made sure to keep India on track for a good total. Al-Amin Hossain broke the 59-run stand when he dismissed Rahul. Prior to his dismissal, Rahul scored 52 from 35 balls.

On the other hand, Iyer went on to smash his career-best 62. Towards the end, Manish Pandey slammed 22 from just 13 to help the hosts put up a decent total. India needed a strong start with the ball to strengthen their grip on the game and Deepak Chahar did exactly that.

In the third over, he removed Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar on consecutive deliveries to leave the visitors reeling at 12 for 2. However, that was not at all the precursor of the things that were to follow. Mohammad Naim and Mohammad Mithun not only batted the visitors out of trouble but also put them in good position.

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The two added 98 runs for the third wicket as Bangladesh started making inroads. However, Chahar struck once again to end the stand and turn the game on its head. On the very next ball, Shivam Dube dismissed the dangerous Mushfiqur Rahim for a duck to put India on top once again. Those twin strikes helped India slow down Bangladesh’s innings as the match headed towards a thrilling end.

But India finally took command of the game when Dube dismissed Naim and Afif Hossain on consecutive deliveries to leave Bangladesh reeling at 126 for 6. And Yuzvendra Chahal all but sealed the win by castling captain Mahmudullah for just 8 in the 17th over. Chahar then went on to complete a fine hat-trick spread across two overs as Bangladesh were all out for 144.

Speaking at the end of the game, Rohit Sharma was all praise for the bowlers. The stand-in captain said that the bowlers proved decisive in the win.

“It were the bowlers who won us the game. I know how it was tough it was considering the dew factor. At one stage it was looking easy for them, things were looking tough for us. It was a great comeback. The boys took the responsibility and raised their hands up. I just reminded them this is what we are playing for. I can understand when wickets are not falling, it’s hard to pick up. I just had to remind what team they’re playing for, credit to the bowlers,” said Rohit Sharma.

At the same time, he also praised the batsmen, pointing out Rahul and Iyer for special praise.

“Also to the batsmen – the way Rahul and Iyer played, that was magnificent. That is what we want from the team – individuals taking the responsibility. Until we get close to the World Cup, we got to find the right balance. There are a few guys missing, but they’ll come back. Keeping everything in mind, we have few games in mind before we get into that flight to Australia. If we keep performing like we did today, it’s going to be a big headache for Virat and the selectors,” he said.