Press Trust of India
Melbourne, Mar 19: Rohit Sharma blasted a strokeful 137 but more importantly Suresh Raina turned things around for defending champions India as they stormed into the semifinals of the ICC cricket World Cup by thrashing a hapless Bangladesh by 109 runs in a lop-sided contest here Thursday.
Rohit’s innings was, no doubt, spectacular but it was Raina’s knock that enabled India regain control of the match that at one point of time seemed to be slipping out of their grasp and the 80,000-odd vociferous crowd slowly turning silent in disbelief. But Raina’s knock and his 122-run partnership enabled India to march home in a canter winning their seventh game on the trot in this edition and 11th overall since the 2011 World Cup.
India posted a commanding 3012 for six and then in reply restricted Bangladesh to 193 all out in 45 overs to take a 2-1 lead over their sub-continental rivals in World Cup events.
Umesh Yadav (4/31 in 9 overs) was bang on target during his entire spell despite a flurry of boundaries in Tamim Iqbal’s run-a-ball 25 that ended with MS Dhoni taking a low catch off the bowler.
Imrul Kayes (five) was run-out due to a mix-up. Two in-form players in left-hander Soumya Sarkar (29) and Mahmudullah Riyadh (21) steadied the ship with a 40-run stand before Shikhar Dhawan took an acrobatic catch to get rid of the latter on the boundary line off Mohammed Shami (2/37). The Bengal pacer then dismissed Sarkar and when Shakib Al Hasan was caught at backward point off Jadeja the writing was clear on the wall.
Earlier when India started Shikhar Dhawan (30, 50b, 3×4) started well and put on 75 runs with Rohit. But Dhawan’s dismissal sparked a mini collapse with both Virat Kohli and and Ajinkya Rahane falling in quick succession. But the Raina-Rohit act changed all that.
