Riding on fluent half centuries from opener Tamim Iqbal and stumper Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh posted 264/7 against India in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Edgbaston Stadium here on Thursday.
Tamim (70) and Mushfiqur (61) posted a 123-run third-wicket partnership to steady the Bangladesh ship after the tigers were reduced to 36/2.
Medium pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/53) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/40) maintained a strict line to halt Bangladesh's scoring rate while part-timer Kedar Jadhav (2/22) emerged as the surprise package for the men in blue.
Despite Bhuvneshwar sweeping up opener Soumya Sarkar (0) and one-down Sabbir Rahman (19) early on, the counter-attacking intent from the Bangladesh batsmen kept the scoreboard ticking.
Skipper Virat Kohli's gamble to bowl Jadhav after all-rounder Hardik Pandya was smashed all over the park, worked wonders for the team as the off-spinner managed to break the century stand between Tamim and Mushfiqur.
Jadhav, who was handed the ball for the first time in the tournament, deceived Tamim with a straight delivery which the southpaw failed to read and instead lost his leg stump while attempting a cross-bat stroke.
The wicket of the dangerous Tamim, who struck seven boundaries and a six, changed the complexion of the game, as Bangladesh failed to keep up the momentum from a comfortable 161/2 after 30 overs to muster 264/7 at the end.
Incoming batsman Shakib Al Hasan (15) fell cheaply to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja before Jadhav once again struck with the crucial wicket of Rahim soon after.
Rahim, who had faced 85 balls by now and struck four boundaries, failed to clear midwicket where Kohli latched on to a comfortable catch.
Middle-order batsmen Mosaddek Hossain (15) and Mahmudullah (21) -- who was dropped on four by Ravichandran Ashwin -- failed to rise to the occasion. Both the batsmen were sent back by Bumrah in quick succession.
Thereafter, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee Mortaza (30 not out) and tailender Taskin Ahmed (11 not out) put on a 35-run undefeated eighth-wicket stand to help the side reach 264.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh 264/7 (Tamim Iqbal 70, Mushfiqur Rahim 61, Mashrafe Mortaza 30 not out, Kedar Jadhav 2/22, Jasprit Bumrah 2/40) vs India.
--IANS
sam/tri/bg
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