Guwahati: Bangladesh defeated the men in blue famously thanks to poor fielding and an inability to seize their opportunities in the first One Day International on Sunday.
Bangladesh displayed bravery and caution in their batting, putting up their biggest partnership of the innings for the last wicket to overcome India in a low-scoring contest.
Mehidy Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman maintained their position despite the Indian bowling assault seemed to be dangerous enough to give them the victory at one stage. The last pair defeated India with a fifty run partnership in the first of a three-match series at Bangladesh’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
Bangladesh chose to have India bat first after winning the toss. As a result of a subpar batting effort overall, the men in blue were bowled out for 186 in 41.2 overs, with K L Rahul scoring the most with 73 off 70 deliveries. None of the Indian hitters were able to surpass the 10-run threshold, with the exception of the captain Rohit Sharma (27), Shreyas Iyer (24), and Washington Sundar (19).
However, the Indian bowlers gave some hope to the team dismissing Bangladesh opener Najmul Hossain Shanto on the first ball. Apart from captain Litton Das (41) and Shakib Al Hasan (29), it was an overall poor batting show from Bangladesh as well. At one point it looked India will cruise to a win with the opponents down to 136 for the loss of nine wickets with a target of 187.
However, it was not to be as Mehidy Hasan blocked their path. He was assisted by a string of shoddy fielding and dropped catches, most notably by K L Rahul, which gave him the confidence to steal the match from India and secure a storied victory.