Asia Cup: India powers to 168/6 against Bangladesh, Abhishek Sharma shines with 75

DUBAI: Abhishek Sharma fires again with the bat for India, but the Indian middle-order crumbles as they finish on 168/6 against Bangladesh in the ongoing Asia Cup on Wednesday in Dubai, with an unbeaten streak so far.

Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India yet another electrifying start. The pair has added 72 runs in the power play, but from being 112/2 in 12 overs, India could only post 168/6 in the 20th over. Bangladesh made a terrific comeback with the ball at the end of the innings.

India started slowly, making only 17 runs in the first three overs. After a slow start, Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill bashed Bangladesh bowlers to reach their highest score in the power-play 72-0 in the ongoing Asia Cup.

Sharma again provided India a flying start. Right after the power play, Rishad Hossain removed Shubman Gill for 29 runs off 19 balls.

In the following over, Sharma brought up his second fifty of the tournament, after he clipped through the vacant mid-wicket pocket for a single off Saif Hassan.

After India lost Gill in the 7th over, captain Suryakumar Yadav promoted Shivam Dube to the number 3 spot. The plan failed miserably as Dube got out for two runs off three balls.

India crossed the 100-run mark in the 11th over. In the 11th over, Suryakumar Yadav played the ball towards backward point, where Rishad Hossain stopped it with a dive.

Sharma left his crease looking for a single, but he was sent back. Rishad waited for a moment and fired a flat throw at the bowler’s end. Seamer Mustafizur Rahman was equally calm while gathering the throw, and he whips off the bails before Sharma could get back in the crease.

Sharma was removed after a brilliant 75 off just 37 balls. In the same over, Rahman removed Suryakumar for 5 runs off 11 balls. He also completed 150 T20I wickets, becoming the first Bangladeshi to do so and the overall 4th to reach the milestone.

After 10 overs, Bangladeshi bowlers made a comeback, conceding less than 35 runs in the next five overs. Tanzim Hasan, after a fiery spell, got his first scalp of the match as he removed Tilak Varma in the 15th over for five.

India lost further wickets, but the focal point was Sanju Samson’s absence from the crease, as he didn’t come out to bat despite India being reduced to five down.

Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel steadily took the Indian innings to a respectable total after a bunch of wickets fell. However, Axar Patel struggled to score runs as he played at a strike rate of 66.67.

India struggled in the final over, managing just four runs, and suffered a late blow with Hardik Pandya’s wicket falling on the last ball of the innings, with Pandya scoring 38 runs.

Bangladesh bowler only conceded 72 runs in the last 10 overs. Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, scalping two wickets. (ANI)