Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's immaculate bowling helped India restrict Bangladesh to a paltry 173 in the first match of the Asia Cup Super Four stage at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Playing his first ODI since July 2017, Jadeja wreaked havoc among the Bangladesh's top and middle-order to return figures of 4/29. He was complimented well by the pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/32) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/37).
Put in to bat, the Bangladeshi innings could have folded much earlier, but thanks to lower-order batsman Mehidy Hasan's courageous 42 that took the team to some sort of respectability after half of the side was back in the hut with just 65 runs on the board.
Continuing his fine form, Bhuvneshwar started the onslaught by getting the early wicket of opener Liton Das (7) in the fifth over, before Bumrah joined the party by removing the other opener Nazmul Hossain Shanto (7) in the very next over.
Veteran Shakib Al Hasan (17) and Mushfiqur Rahim (21) then arrived at the crease and got into damage control, playing the ball to its merit.
But in the 10th over, Jadeja picked up Shakib. After slamming a couple of boundaries, Shakib tried to slog another one but picked Shikhar Dhawan at square leg.
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Jadeja immediately jolted the Bangladeshis by trapping new man Mohammad Mithun (9) before packing back Rahim, caught comfortably by Yuzvendra Chahal.
With the top five back in the pavilion at the score of 65 runs, it seemed like India could bundle Bangladesh out cheaply, before Mahmudullah (25) and Mehidy forged a 36-run stand for the seventh wicket to take the team beyond the three figure mark.
Towards the end, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza (26) struck a few lusty blows and together with Mehidy raised a valuable 56-run stand for the eighth wicket to take the side past the 150-run mark even as the Indian bowlers bounced back well to restrict them to 173 in 49.1 overs.
Brief scores: Bangladesh: 173 (Mehidy Hasan 42, Mashrafe Mortaza 26; Ravindra Jadeja 4/29, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/32, Jasprit Bumrah 3/37) vs India.
--IANS
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