World Cup (cricket): 2023
The matches
Pune: India beat Bangladesh
Oct 20, 2023: The Times of India
India vs Bangladesh highlights, World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli slams 48th century as India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
IND vs BAN highlights: Virat Kohli's unbeaten century sealed India's fourth win from four World Cup matches as the hosts defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in Pune on Thursday. Star batsman Kohli reached his century and ended the match in style with a six against spinner Nasum Ahmed when he needed three runs to complete his century and India required two more runs to reach a target of 257. They got there with more than eight overs to spare, finishing on 261-3. Kohli faced 97 balls, including six fours and four sixes, with this century his third score in excess of fifty in four innings following contributions of 85 and 55 not out in recent pool wins over Australia and Afghanistan. But for Bangladesh, a third defeat in four matches left them with an uphill struggle to qualify for the semi-finals. The stage was set for Kohli by an opening partnership of 88 between India skipper Rohit Sharma (48) and Shubman Gill (53). Rohit signalled India's intentions with a second-ball cover-driven four off Shoriful Islam as Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald, the former South Africa spearhead, looking on from the boundary edge. Rohit, fresh from scores of 131 and 86 against Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively, hooked Hasan Mahmud for a huge six only to hole out when trying to repeat the shot next ball. Kohli, however, was soon into his stride with a four -- off a free hit -- and a sublime straight six from successive Mahmud deliveries. Gill's exit, as he just failed to clear the rope for a third time, made little difference to the run-spree. Earlier, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja sparked a top-order collapse against a Bangladesh side who had won three of their four previous ODIs against India. The Tigers were held to 256-8, having been well-placed at 93 without loss, after stand-in Tigers skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss on a good batting pitch. Jadeja took a miserly 2-38 from his 10 overs and Yadav 1-47. Tanzid Hasan, whose 51 was the left-hander's maiden ODI fifty, and Liton Das (66) shared a fine opening stand while facing Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj only for Bangladesh to slump to 137-4. The 22-year-old Tanzid, whose highest score in eight previous ODIs was 16, completed a 41-ball fifty before he was lbw to left-arm wrist-spinner Yadav.
Liton was still there but he carelessly lofted Jadeja to long-off.
India were a bowler down after Hardik Pandya managed just three balls in the ninth over before limping off with ankle damage.
Kohli, bowling in an ODI for the first time in six years, completed Pandya's over.
Mushfiqur Rahim's 38 and fellow veteran Mahmudullah's 46 bolstered Bangladesh's total.
But with left-arm spinner and regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan sidelined following the thigh injury suffered during Friday's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Chennai, it never looked enough.
India's quest for a third World Cup title continues against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday, with Bangladesh facing South Africa in Mumbai.
Lucknow: India beats England
Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India
From: Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India
Lucknow : India’s World Cup campaign officially gained invincibility status.
Poor England. Down and out on their luck, they were seemingly having a good time until first Jasprit Bumrah (3/32 in 6.5 overs) and then Mohammed Shami (4/22 in 7) — those two fiery, relentless avenging angels of pace and fizz and seam and genius — turned the new white ball into a screaming, spherical weapon of mass destruction under lights. The pace duo’s effort killed any ambitions Jos Buttler’s men may have nurtured about resurrecting their doomed campaign. It also gave India their sixth consecutive victory. Clearly, this is not a team that believes in the law of averages. India won by 100 runs in 34.5 overs after putting up what at first looked a below-par 229/9 batting first.
Chasing 230 on a challenging pitch where even some of India’s best batters struggled, and with the dew coming in, England experienced a false dawn — Siraj bowled too full and the boundaries flowed from the bat of Dawid Malan. A score of 26 for no loss after four overs during a tricky chase can always soothe the nerves. To be fair, it was over before England could say “Boom, Boom” in tune with the MC here at the Ekana stadium. Fifth ball of the fifth over, Bumrah, always questioning with that in-between, just short of good length deliveries, got Malan to chop on, the batter shaping up for a cut shot and finding no room.
Next ball, Joe Root — with his poor returns whenever he comes out to bat between overs 1-10 already the talk of the town — was plumb legbefore. Pitched up, skiddy, keeping low, stuck flush on the pads in front of the stumps. Bumrah leapt high and punched the air. Fifty thousand people at the Ekana stadium heaved in unison and let out a collective yell of triumph. Root trudged off, but not before wasting a DRS call.
Up next, eighth over, a Shami masterclass for Ben Stokes. Around the wicket to the left-hander, angling in, then seaming away. The batter, left repeatedly frustrated by the back-of-a-length deliveries, eventually looked to hit his way out of jail. The ball was fuller and it clattered the exposed stumps. A 10-ball duck. Shades of Virat Kohli’s impatient 9-ball duck earlier in the day. England 33/3. First ball of Shami’s next over, Jonny Bairstow, on the backfoot, dragged one on to the stumps. Shami was on a hat-trick now. England were 39/4 and the game was virtually dead in 9.1 overs.
Any hopes of a rebuilding phase were nipped in the bud by leggie Kuldeep Yadav snaring Buttler and Livingstone. Even with the dew setting in heavily, the spinners were not easy to get away. India too had lost a flurry of early wickets when they batted, but the perspicacity of Rohit Sharma (87 off 101 balls; 10x4, 3x6), and with his sheer skill with the bat, saved the day. KL Rahul contributed in a 91-run partnership to resurrect the innings before a fluent Suryakumar took the score to safety. The rest were unable to soak up the pressure.
Where do India go from here? They have a few important pointers after having batted first for the first time in this tournament. They need to play the waiting game better. The addition of Suryakumar adds punch to the lineup. They cannot drop Shami now, on any surface.
