2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 2nd ODI vs Bangladesh

A heroic effort from Rohit Sharma went in vain as Team India lost to Bangladesh by five runs in the second ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday, December 7.

The loss meant the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, having clinched the opener by a narrow one-wicket margin on Sunday. India were left to rue their lack of execution in crunch moments as Bangladesh extended their stellar home record in ODIs.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke by India in the second ODI vs Bangladesh.

---

#3 Mistake - Top-order batting

Chasing 272 on a wicket that was bound to become more difficult to bat on under the lights, India needed their top order to apply themselves and give the team a good platform. The top order's task became even more important in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who suffered an injury early in the first innings.

But the uneven bounce at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium claimed both the Indian openers within the first three overs. While Virat Kohli attempted a callous pull across the line off Ebadot Hossain and saw his woodwork disturbed, Shikhar Dhawan was surprised by a Mustafizur Rahman delivery that reared up off the surface.

Washington Sundar was dismissed just as the first powerplay ended, spooning a simple catch to midwicket off Shakib Al Hasan. The dismissal left India reeling at 39/3, a score they would struggle to recover from.

---

#2 Masterstroke - Handling the injuries to Deepak Chahar and Rohit Sharma

New Zealand v India - 3rd ODI

Within the first few overs of Bangladesh's innings, India lost two of their players.

Captain Rohit Sharma shelled a catch at second slip off Mohammed Siraj's bowling and injured his hand in the process. He immediately walked off the field and was taken for scans, leaving the team without their skipper and opening batter. Rohit returned at No. 9 to smack the Bangladesh bowling around and played smartly.

Deepak Chahar, meanwhile, sent down three overs before suffering a suspected hamstring issue. He played no further part in the bowling innings as India lost out on one of their six bowling options.

However, the Men in Blue reacted to the setbacks pretty well. The bowlers adjusted to Chahar's absence by making several early inroads, and the team management did the right thing by moving Virat Kohli to the top of the order and Washington Sundar to No. 4.

It would've been easy for India to promote KL Rahul, who has opened the batting before, but they stuck to their plans. Although it didn't quite pay off, the thinking was spot-on.

---

#1 Mistake - Death bowling

New Zealand v India - 1st ODI

Having reduced Bangladesh to 69/6, India were in pole position to run through the lower-middle order and bowl the opposition out cheaply. However, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah put on a mammoth partnership for the seventh wicket over the course of 27 overs.

Miraz and Mahmudullah steadied the ship at the start of their partnership, and the risk-free cricket they played prevented India from making more breakthroughs. But once the batters were set, KL Rahul and Co. got their bowling plans all wrong. They dished out a plethora of deliveries in the slot as both batters started to find the boundary on a regular basis.

Even after Umran Malik prised out Mahmudullah with just under three overs to go, the pacers failed to execute any yorkers or slower balls. Shardul Thakur and Malik were taken for several boundaries by Miraz and No. 9 Nasum Ahmed, with even Siraj ending up with an innings economy rate of 7.3.