Nidahas Tri-series 2018: Rohit Sharma delighted after India’s clinical victory against Bangladesh

India won their first match in the T20I tri-series against Bangladesh by 6 wickets.

Vijay Shankar claimed 2/32 to laid the foundation for India's comprehensive victory against Bangladesh | BCCI

After a faulty start in the Twenty-20 tri-series opener against hosts Sri Lanka on Tuesday (March 6), Team India bounced back emphatically to secure a comprehensive 6-wicket victory against Bangladesh on Thursday (March 8). The Men in Blue led by Rohit Sharma produced an all-round show to open their account in the points table.  

After opting to bowl first, Indian bowlers up their game by many folds to restrict Bangladesh to a paltry total of 139/8 in 20 overs. In reply, India rode on Shikhar Dhawan's fine half-century (55 of 43 balls) to chase down the target with eight balls to spare.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, India’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma looked visibly delighted with his team’s dominating show.

"I think it was a great performance, something that was expected from us. Right from the start to the end, it was clinical and a complete team effort," Rohit quoted.

"We looked into what went wrong in the game against Sri Lanka and we thought hitting the length was the option for us. We wanted their batsmen to take on the longer boundaries. Bowlers executed plans very well. We kept it simple and got the basics right, which was missing in the first game," he further added.

Amidst the positive, the Indian captain felt that fielding was not up to the mark and they will have to improve on the catching aspect.

"Catching is something where there's always room for improvement. We want to get better as a fielding side. We are much better than that," Rohit commented.

On the other hand, Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah admitted that they were around 30 runs short on that deck. He also hailed his bowlers for taking the games to the 19th over.

"We didn't bat well. We should have scored 30 more runs. We need to find out how to get runs on these kind of wickets. Think the bowlers did a pretty good job. We need to rotate the strike more often. Dot balls create pressure on batsmen. Need to find gaps and get boundaries in the middle overs. One win will boost us and will reflect in our game. Hopefully we'll get it," Mahmudullah said.

Making his debut in this Twenty-20 tri-series, all-rounder Vijay Shankar was deservedly adjudged 'Man of the Match' for his herculean effort with the ball. Vijay Shankar picked two crucial wickets in the middle-overs to put a break in Bangladesh’s run flow. He recorded the bowling figures of 4-0-32-2.

Ecstatic with his first ‘Player of the Match’ award in international cricket, Shankar said he has been working hard for this day.

"Been looking forward to this. Have been working hard, so very happy. Bowling has given me something extra in my game. We got wickets today, which helped us restrict them. A lot of people (inspired me). Being with this team is a dream for every cricketer. Everyone in the dressing room is very supportive," Vijay Shankar stated.

India will now play their next match against Sri Lanka on Monday (March 12), while Bangladesh will face the hosts on Saturday (March 10).

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 08 Mar, 2018

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