Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey
A game to remember.
Asian giants India against strong performers Bangladesh in what was widely expected to be a comfortable India win. It was not the case. Staying up till 6am on Saturday morning Sydney time was totally worth it as we witnessed a classic. Who said the days of low scoring ODI thrillers are over?
The only sour note in this great game was the “clear proof” that BCCI = ICC. In all honesty, I’m sick of fans claiming this. So, Bangladesh’s disappointing middle overs batting was completely irrelevant, but rather it was the third umpire’s fault that India won this? Sure, at the time, personal opinion suggested Liton Das was perhaps a tad unlucky to be given out, given how the third umpire often rules in favour of the batsman in situations like those. However, Twitter provides a good laugh, and unfortunately, some fans place blame on a moment like that rather than the disappointing 20 overs that preceded it.
Amid the Twitter battle between fans, an amazing one took place on the field, with Mashrafe Mortaza’s men pushing India all the way. In an absolutely fantastic game of cricket, where India lifted their seventh Asia Cup Title, I will go through each player and rate them out of ten. Enjoy!
Bangladesh
Liton Das: An innings fitting of his talent. Liton Das’ tournament before the Final reminded yours truly of Mohammad Ashraful, perhaps the most prevalent example of unfulfilled talent in many years. In a game where batsmen often struggled for fluidity and timing, Liton stood out. What a knock. 10
Mehidy Hasan Miraz: Bangladesh surprised us all when Mehidy was sent in as opener, including the Indian bowlers. Held in there well, involved in a 120-run opening stand. Unfortunately, he was as prevalent with the ball as Adil Rashid in the first four Tests of the recent England v India Test series. 6
Imrul Kayes: Brett Lee on air said Imrul Kayes’ sub 30 career average was “good”. Highlight of Kayes’ day, after being on the wrong end of an umpire’s call LBW. 2
Mushfiqur Rahim: Mushfiqur reportedly hasn’t slept since the game finished, having nightmares of deep midwicket. A very soft dismissal for someone of such quality and experience. Kept well, taking four catches. 4
Mohammad Mithun: Sold down the river by Liton. A promising tournament, though. 1
Mahmudullah: *Test batting* *Test batting* *Test batting* *OK T20 mode*. Like Mushfiqur, it was a poor innings from a player of such calmness or experience. No rotation of strike, and got out at a bad time for Bangladesh. Nearly defended six off the final over, after picking up the crucial wicket of Dinesh Karthik. 4
Soumya Sarkar: Think you felt nervous ahead of a job interview, first date or the like? Imagine how Soumya must have felt when he was thrown the ball with India needing six in the final over. Mashrafe then let him off the hook. When batting, his 33 was vital in getting Bangladesh over 220. 6.5
Mashrafe Mortaza: Captain inspirational. As mentioned in my Pakistan v Bangladesh Player Ratings, I will be swimming in a pool of my own tears when this man retires. His field placements and leadership was absolutely fantastic. Bowled brilliantly, too, picking up 1/35 off his 10. 9
Nazmul Islam: If Nazmul focuses on his performances as much as he does on his nagin dancing, he would be one hell of a bowler. When he was bowling, you always felt a loose ball was around the corner. Plenty of improvement needed if he is to be a regular in the side. 4
Mustafizur Rahman: Did his absolute best, and helped Bangladesh take India right to the final ball. He bowled so well, for the large part, with the only blemish a crucial leg side ball that Bhuvneshwar Kumar flicked for four. 8.5
Rubel Hossain: Rubel has had some good moments in his ten years as an ODI cricketer for Bangladesh, but this was arguably his best ever performance. He bowled as he always should – full and straight with that tail he gets. A quality outing. 9
India
Rohit Sharma: All of India held their breath when Rohit was dismissed. Again looked in excellent touch, but this time couldn’t go on, after leading his team well in the field following a very shaky start. 7
Shikhar Dhawan: Was keen to get the game over with and chill out afterwards. Soft dismissal to help Bangladesh get a sniff early. 2
Ambati Rayudu: Not the prettiest of shots to get dismissed. Back of the bat ended up facing Mashrafe. They always say to show the bat makers name when playing your shots, but Rayudu did it the wrong way. 1
Dinesh Karthik: Got a start then got out to a low full toss. You always feel nervous when DK bats, maybe because he fidgets around a lot. Should he still get a look in over KL Rahul? 6
MS Dhoni: Are MS Dhoni’s days truly numbered? Not the best time for an audition to make the Test squad v West Indies. He looked dangerous at times, but just too many dots again. But, his wicketkeeping was truly brilliant. Amazing hands. 6
Kedar Jadhav: Gutsy effort! Speaking from experience, a hamstring injury is a terrible one to get, and even worse so given the situation. A hobbling Jadhav got India over the line. This was after his bowling yet again dismantled Bangladesh, just like was the case in the Champions Trophy Semi Final last year. 9
Ravindra Jadeja: Wicketless with the ball, but dealt with the late game pressure pretty well. Had he got out early, India could have lost. 6
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: A couple of absolutely critical shots off his bat. His six off Rubel Hossain down the ground, which was arguably shot of the day, was followed by a fine tickle for four against Mustafizur Rahman. Couldn’t quite see things home. 7
Kuldeep Yadav: There at the end and simply outstanding with the ball. Got the huge wicket of Liton which rekindled the BCCI = ICC claims. Thanks, Kuldeep. 9
Yuzvendra Chahal: As economical as ever, with a wicket. 8
Jasprit Bumrah: Started more expensive than a gold digger, but brought back things really well. A good reflection of his talent. 7.5
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So, congratulations India on a seventh Asia Cup Title. For Bangladesh, it is more heartbreak, but their performance without Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan has given hope for the future.
Thanks for reading!
