Welcome back for the run chase. The Bangladeshi players are making their way out to the middle. India need to chase just over 8 runs per over. They've been set a good target for a 15-over game. Rohit and Dhawan stride out as well. Can the hosts manage a few early breakthroughs and push India back? Taskin to begin with just one slip in place.
After an hour-long thunderstorm had been eclipsed by Dhaka's drainage brilliance, India opted to bowl on a balding pitch - perhaps the best of this Asia Cup. Ashwin started the proceedings in a typical Dhoni-like move only to see Bangladesh off to a sane start. But in trying to cap off a 13-run over with another big hit, a greedy Soumya Sarkar perished to Nehra and Bumrah trapped Tamim soon after to render the powerplay mediocre. Pandya's first over proved expensive but mid-innings runs were largely kept in check, courtesy constant juggling of bowlers from Dhoni. Ashwin returned to send Shakib back in a Dhaka-muting move. The twelfth over then saw Mushfiqur come second to a Kohli throw while Mortaza slogged his way to a golden duck. The over threatened to waterjug all the momentum but Pandya yielded to some late Mahmudullah fireworks, taking the Bangladeshi score to realms of defendable. Chase minutes away!
That's it. 120 on the board. Despite a parsimonious last over, Bangladesh have finished well with 42 coming off the final three. Mahmudullah's striking prowess providing that X-factor when they so desperately needed it.
14.6 -
Bumrah to S Rahman, 1 run, well bowled, very well bowled. Saw the batsman shaping for a reverse-lap and targetted leg-stump with a low full toss. Rahman ended up having to reach out for it, no power on the shot and finds backward point
14.5 -
Bumrah to Mahmudullah, 1 run, full toss around knee height, most times that would be in the stands. But given how quick Bumrah's action is, Mahmudullah is late with the slog, spoons it off the splice in front of long-on
14.4 -
Bumrah to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, full and fast again, Mahmudullah swats it off the inside half of the bat wide of long-on for another couple
14.3 -
Bumrah to Mahmudullah, no run, he's out-thought the batsman here. Sees Mahmudullah backing away and slips in a bouncer. That's the last thing Mahmudullah expected. Tried a rushed hook shot but the ball sailed over his top-edge. Oh, on second glance from side-on, Bumrah's got away with a wide. Too high
14.2 -
Bumrah to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, Jadeja is sure to have a bruised ego after today. The batsmen have taken him on every time and got away with it. Full ball, very hard to get under as Mahmudullah tries to deposit it over long-on. Hits it along the ground wide of the fielder and hares back to keep strike
14.1 -
Bumrah to S Rahman, 1 run, hohoho! Mighty fine yorker tailing in on middle, Rahman swings, chops it off the inside edge onto pad and collects a single in front of backward point
Jasprit Bumrah [2.0-0-6-1] is back into the attack
35 runs have come off the last 2 overs. Now to finish it with a windfall. Won't be easy with Bumrah charging in.
13.6 -
Pandya to S Rahman, 1 run, finishes the over well. But that's after an over which has bled 21. Bang into the blockhole on middle, Rahman squeezes it to backward square leg for a single
13.5 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, 1 run, oh he's missed out! A blatant full toss around off, Mahmudullah's eyes saw red and he swung hard. Lost his shape and dragged it off the inside half to deep mid-wicket
13.5 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, wide, tries to follow Mahmudullah as he backs away, but goes way down leg. Allows Mahmudullah to pull himself inside the line of the ball and collect a wide
13.4 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, SIX, Dhoni runs straight towards Pandya after this. Mahmudullah is shredding him to pieces. Bits of Hardik Pandya are flying around Dhaka. Dhoni tries to gather them. But another poor ball. Misses the yorker by quite a bit and is smited over wide long-on
13.3 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, and he responds well. Almost a yorker on middle, Mahmudullah having made room can't get elevation as he tries to launch it downtown. Still hits it well enough straight of long-on where Raina slides and flicks it back to the long-off fielder
13.2 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, SIX, now, now, now. He did take the cover off that one. Ouch. That's a dagger through Pandya's heart which leaves an exit wound on his back as well. Dishes up a length ball on the stumps, Mahmudullah backs away and clobbers it over mid-wicket. Soars into the stands. This is sure to get the young man's heart pounding
13.1 -
Pandya to Mahmudullah, FOUR, now that will help. What a shot from Mahmudullah. Didn't look to take the cover of the ball, saw the full toss outside off, cleared the front leg and simply lofted it wide of long-off
Hardik Pandya [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
A couple of overs left and Bangladesh need a lot more from them. Just feel that they are 15-20 shy than they ought to be at this stage..
12.6 -
Nehra to Mahmudullah, 1 run, fullish and curling away outside off, Mahmudullah tries to carve it over extra-cover but gets it much squarer due to the bat turning and him slicing the shot
12.5 -
Nehra to Mahmudullah, FOUR, bazuka! That's a missile past Nehra's left boot. Full ball on the stumps, missed the yorker by 6 inches or so and finds himself drilled back hard as Mahmudullah clears his front leg. Very hard
12.4 -
Nehra to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, good work from Pandya in the deep. Spotted a fielder running towards him, knew his momentum would take him on the ground, so he flicked it to his teammate. Earlier, Mahmudullah had smartly punched a slower length ball wide of backward point. Waited for it and then sliced it well
12.3 -
Nehra to Mahmudullah, 2 runs, the pitch looks to be two-paced for sure. Another batsman being hurried by the short of length delivery looking to pull. Spoons it off the splice in front of long-on and enough time to nick a couple
12.2 -
Nehra to S Rahman, 1 run, slingy yorker wide of off, can't do much with those. Rahman slashes a mistimed drive to sweeper cover
12.1 -
Nehra to S Rahman, FOUR, he's in amazing form, this lad. Walks across shaping to scoop, reaches out with bat in front of body to convert it into a low full toss, and laps it over short fine leg. Probably got it closer to the bottom of the bat but he made enough of a connection
Ashish Nehra [2.0-0-19-1] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, flatter and sliding on towards off, Rahman backs away a bit and dabs it behind backward point
11.5 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 2 runs, patted towards extra-cover where a misfield defuses a run-out chance. Instead, they end up with two
Mahmudullah, right handed bat, comes to the crease
11.4 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Mortaza, out Caught by Kohli!! Another batsman has found out the perils of going after Jadeja. So quick through the air, hardly any bounce due to the round arm action. Almost like left-arm underground. Fires it at the stumps from round the wicket, Mortaza backs away and slogs, mistimes it and holes out to deep mid-wicket where Kohli takes it easily and continues with his showboating. This time prowls forward doing a lion-dance. Mortaza c Kohli b Ravindra Jadeja 0(1)
Ravindra Jadeja to Mortaza, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Mashrafe Mortaza, right handed bat, comes to the crease
11.3 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Rahim, out Rahim Run Out!! 1 run completed! And we are going upstairs. Rahim was struggling to make it back. Took very heavy strides and had to put the dive. A rocket throw from Kohli at deep mid-wicket. Straight over the bails which are whipped off in a jiffy by Dhoni. Rahim has made the crease with the dive, but is the bat in the air? It bounced up unfortunately after hitting the ground. And yes, Rahim is out of here. Oh, look at Kohli. Gesturing towards the audience to keep their mouths closed. Rahim made room and mistimed the slog wide of Kohli who was very quick to skate across and return the throw. Rahim run out (Kohli/Dhoni) 4(5)
Ravindra Jadeja to Rahim, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
11.2 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, pushed to extra-cover
11.1 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 2 runs, never easy to slog Jadeja. Rahman tries nonetheless after stepping out, loses his shape and drags it off the inside edge through mid-wicket
Ravindra Jadeja [2.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
Pandya to Rahim, no run, and again. Cannoned into the blockhole on off, Rahim quickly gets his bat down and drills it straight. Pandya dives to his left and stops a prospective single
10.5 -
Pandya to S Rahman, 1 run, brilliant yorker. Saw the batsman coming towards him and fired it full and fast, Rahman barely manages to squeeze a drive to long-off
10.4 -
Pandya to S Rahman, no run, excellent slower delivery. Due to the lack of pace, the ball dies from a good length and sneaks under Rahman's big swing across the line. On a couple of bounces to Dhoni
10.3 -
Pandya to Rahim, 1 run, short of length delivery outside off, Rahim rolls the wrists on the ball after standing on his toes and glides it down to third man
10.2 -
Pandya to S Rahman, 1 run, now he's premeditating stuff, which is never smart. What's more, they've taken on Jadeja again and he's missed again. Back of length outside off, he tries to slap it over the infield but gets it high on the bat straight towards mid-off. Tries a single and would have been gone
10.1 -
Pandya to S Rahman, no run, excellent stop by Dhoni. Most keepers wouldn't have been able to stop it as they would have been wrong footed. But Dhoni bends very little if at all at the point of delivery. Length ball outside off, Rahman has a hoick at it, gets a big inside edge and nearly chops it back on off-stump. Missed by a whisker
Hardik Pandya [1.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
9.6 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, 1 run, quicker and turning in on middle and leg, nurdled through square leg. Excellent variations in pace and flight
9.5 -
Ashwin to Rahim, 1 run, flatter this time and slightly short on the stumps, Rahim pulls his weight on the back foot, swivels and pulls it with the turn to deep backward square
9.4 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, 1 run, shimmies down again and nudges it wide of the fielder this time to get off strike
9.3 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, no run, turning in towards off and middle, clipped to short mid-wicket after a couple of strides out of the crease
9.2 -
Ashwin to Rahim, 1 run, tossed up very full on off, Rahim whips it hard down to long-on to get off the mark
Mushfiqur Rahim, right handed bat, comes to the crease
9.1 -
Ashwin to Shakib, out Caught by Bumrah!! Look at those faces in the crowd. People have hands covering their mouths, scratching their cheeks, and what not. Shakib was looking good until now, but then he's decided to take on the genius of India's spin wizard. Ashwin saw him making room, followed him while keeping it slower through the air. As a result he generated more bounce from a length, caught the top-edge of Shakib's attempted sweep and offered a simple reverse-cup take to short fine leg. Shakib c Bumrah b Ashwin 21(16) [4s-3]
Ashwin to Shakib, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Ravichandran Ashwin [2.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
8.6 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, no run, the trajectory is flat again which tempts Rahman into thinking that the length will be short, he stays rooted and flashes at it, sneaks under the willow through to Dhoni
8.5 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, 1 run, takes a couple of steps down the track, meets it on the full and whips it down to long-on
8.4 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, drops it slightly short outside off, Rahman backs away and cuts it to deep point
8.3 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, 1 run, another dart on the stumps from over the wicket, Shakib makes room and slogs it to deep mid-wicket. Just in front of the fielder it landed
8.2 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, 2 runs, flatter on off, the length is there to be carved inside out and Shakib doesn't hold back. Slices it though and lucky to clear extra-cover
8.1 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, Jadeja is convinced, arms in the air as he runs backwards in appeal. Quick arm-ball which hits Rahman's front leg as he tries to push into the off-side, but there's an inside edge involved. Top call
7.6 -
Pandya to Shakib, FOUR, oh cheeky! Walks across the stumps to a length ball, picks it smartly and scoops it over short fine leg
7.5 -
Pandya to Shakib, no run, another Bangladeshi southpaw hurling down the pitch in an attempt to heave the ball into outer space. The extra-bounce foiling the attempt again. Bounces over the wafting willow
7.4 -
Pandya to Shakib, FOUR, he's banged one in and Shakib has taken on the challenge. Pulls it hard, there is a man in the deep but it's wide of him. The umpires are checking if it has carried all the way. No. On the half-volley
7.3 -
Pandya to S Rahman, 1 run, back of a length delivery angled into middle and leg, nudged behind square from the crease
7.2 -
Pandya to Shakib, 1 run, fullish on middle, Shakib aims an expansive drive down the ground, but the bat twists in his hands and he drags it in the air to the left of Pandya. Would I label that as a chance? Nah. Would be harsh. He hardly had time to bend, didn't even get a hand
7.1 -
Pandya to S Rahman, 1 run, short of length delivery hurrying onto Rahman's attempted pull, he swats it off the under-edge into the on-side
Hardik Pandya, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Dhoni mixing and matching his bowlers
6.6 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, flatter and sliding on outside off, Rahman prods across and dinks it softly into the off-side for a quick well judged single
6.5 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, FOUR, now some finesse from Rahman. The line was outside off, the pace was Jadeja like, he employs the reverse-lap to tickle it past Dhoni's gloves and into the third man fence
6.4 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, 1 run, tries an encore but can't get it wide enough of long-on this time. The fielder runs to his right and cuts it off
6.3 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, FOUR, another pop-gun dart from Jadeja on the stumps, Shakib makes room this time and heaves it wide of long-on. Wide enough of the fielder for a boundary
6.2 -
Ravindra Jadeja to S Rahman, 1 run, crrrunched off the back foot. Short and wide, Rahman goes deep in the crease and slaps it to deep point
6.1 -
Ravindra Jadeja to Shakib, 1 run, fired in on middle, flicked with the turn to Rohit at short mid-wicket. Another error in the field allowing the strike to rotate
Ravindra Jadeja, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Ashwin to Shakib, 1 run, Ashwin is teasing them at the moment. Varying it nicely in the air, lures Shakib forward on the drive this time, he aims for a single to long-off but can't get past short extra-cover. A fumble allows a run
5.5 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, 1 run, tossed up on off, appreciable turn from a length, Rahman nurdles it behind square
5.4 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, no run, reverses his stance and hits the sweep well but straight to backward point
5.4 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, wide, gets the line wrong, lots of air on middle, turns down the leg-side
5.3 -
Ashwin to Shakib, 1 run, looped up outside off, Shakib once again creates his own room and drives it crisply with the turn to sweeper cover
5.2 -
Ashwin to Shakib, no run, tossed up with the length slightly short from round the wicket, keeps coming towards Shakib as he backs away looking to cut, ends up being too cramped and chopping it back to the bowler
5.1 -
Ashwin to S Rahman, 1 run, stretches across with back knee bent, reaches for the quicker and wider off-break and paddles the sweep to deep backward square
Ravichandran Ashwin [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
Ashwin back and the slip has disappeared
4.6 -
Bumrah to Shakib, no run, good length delivery wide of off, tempts Shakib to have a big slash at it, but again there is a tennis-ball like bounce to beat the edge
Dhoni has two slips in place..
4.5 -
Bumrah to Shakib, no run, extra bounce for a spirited Bumrah from a back of a length, rushes on towards Shakib as he tries to work it through the on-side and hits him on the thigh pad. Too high
Shakib Al Hasan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
4.4 -
Bumrah to Tamim, out Lbw!! Bumrah hits Tamim on the pad, a prolonged wait follows before finally the finger goes up. That looked dead on first glance. Length ball angled in towards middle from round the wicket, Tamim bends his front knee and tries to swing it across the line, anticipates more bounce than there is and the ball sneaks under the willow. HawkEye shows it hitting middle of middle. Tamim lbw b Bumrah 13(17) [4s-2]
Bumrah to Tamim, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
4.3 -
Bumrah to S Rahman, 1 run, clipped wonderfully off the pads to deep backward square
4.2 -
Bumrah to Tamim, 1 run, jumps out of the crease to heave at a slippery short of length delivery, it hurries onto him, hits him high on the bat and rolls in front of mid-off
4.1 -
Bumrah to S Rahman, 1 run, the madness continues. You give Jadeja enough chances, and he'll make good sooner or later. Not this time. Rahman fails to tuck a back of a length delivery through the on-side, it deflects off the thigh pad in front of backward point where Jadeja is effervescent as ever. Swoops in quickly and fires a throw which would have found a diving Tamim short had it hit
Sabbir Rahman, right handed bat, comes to the crease
From what I have seen off Bangladesh, I think they'll keep going.
3.6 -
Nehra to Soumya Sarkar, out Caught by Pandya!! Listen to this, listen to this ... absolutely nothing. Dead silence. Sarkar gets carried away by the adrenaline rush. Isn't content with a 13-run over. Swishes hard at a length ball trying to heave it over the on-side, never in control of the extra-bounce. Pops up off the splice and a simple grab for Pandya at mid-off. Soumya Sarkar c Pandya b Nehra 14(9) [4s-3]
Nehra to Soumya Sarkar, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.5 -
Nehra to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, filthy delivery which has sent the crowd into near eruption. Short of length and angling down leg, Sarkar lifts his front leg Gordon Greenidge like, then whips the short-arm pull over short fine leg. Wow, the atmosphere is intense
3.4 -
Nehra to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, wooosh! That's nearly taken Tamim's head to the boundary. Ducked underneath it in time, did the non-striker. Takes a shimmy down the pitch, gets close enough to the pitch of the ball and blazes it straight back. Meaty blow
3.3 -
Nehra to Tamim, 1 run, patted in front of Jadeja at backward point and they take him on. Smart? Not really but Sarkar was safely in. But unfortunately, Jadeja's throw has hit his back calf. Doesn't look in much pain
3.2 -
Nehra to Tamim, FOUR, mid-off, mid-off, and it's over him! Just about. Tamim was starting to get twitchy. Goes flashing after a length ball which bounces spongily, gets it high on the willow but the batswing takes it over the infield
3.1 -
Nehra to Tamim, no run, ridiculous stroke! Swinging away on a fuller length outside off, and Tamim is trying to whip it through the on-side. Lucky not to nick it
2.6 -
Bumrah to Soumya Sarkar, no run, good length delivery which keeps a touch low outside off, Sarkar stays in the crease looking to dab but the lack of bounce deceives him
2.5 -
Bumrah to Soumya Sarkar, 2 runs, that's chaotic running. A direct-hit and Tamim was gone despite a dive. Back of a length outside off, Sarkar swats the pull to the right of mid-on. Ashwin dives and parries it towards Pandya who gathers and shies at the non-striker's end. Didn't miss by much
2.4 -
Bumrah to Soumya Sarkar, no run, ugly swing and a miss. On a good length outside off, Sarkar wafts with feet going nowhere, it's not in his swinging arc and misses
2.3 -
Bumrah to Soumya Sarkar, no run, cramps Sarkar for room as he tries to cut a back of a length delivery, late on the stroke and misses
2.2 -
Bumrah to Tamim, 1 run, angled in towards middle on a good length, Tamim swivels on the back foot slightly and swings it behind square. Not in any control but it's spooned over the infield
2.1 -
Bumrah to Tamim, no run, skids on from a good length and with the angle in towards off, bounces more than Tamim expects and he has to drop his bottom hand in defence. Gets it close to the shoulder of the bat
Jasprit Bumrah, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
So the Ashwin experiment lasts just one over. Bumrah on from round the wicket.
1.6 -
Nehra to Soumya Sarkar, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, patted to backward point
1.5 -
Nehra to Tamim, 1 run, short ball which finds Tamim waiting in the crease attempting a pull. Got good height above the shoulder, might have stuck into the pitch slightly as Tamim went through with the stroke early. Spoons it up off the toe-end in front of mid-on
1.4 -
Nehra to Tamim, no run, Tamim has to bail out of the stroke. He came running down the track again, but gave his cards too early. Allowed Nehra to pound one very short and Tamim does the smart thing not to go chasing
1.3 -
Nehra to Tamim, no run, fullish and a hint of outswing from a length outside off, Tamim covers the line this time with a bigger front foot stride and gently pushes to cover
1.2 -
Nehra to Tamim, no run, oh beaut! Draws Tamim forward and across, has him feeling for the length ball which shapes away ever so slightly to beat the edge. One slip is waiting for the edge
1.2 -
Nehra to Tamim, wide, slips one down the leg-side, maybe looking for swing which isn't there, drifts on with the arm. Tamim has a big whip at it but fails to connect
1.1 -
Nehra to Tamim, FOUR, oh well, Tamim being Tamim! Gives Nehra the charge first ball and converts it into a half-volley on the pads, then jerks his wrists and flicks it past square leg
Ashish Nehra, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Ashwin to Soumya Sarkar, FOUR, nicely tossed up outside off, Sarkar leans forward, towards the ball and cracks the drive through the covers. That should settle the nerves
0.5 -
Ashwin to Tamim, 1 run, this time he goes deeper in the crease and tucks it from the pads through mid-wicket
0.4 -
Ashwin to Tamim, no run, another flatter off-break, no turn from a length on middle, again Tamim is late on the flick. The new ball will simply slide on though
0.3 -
Ashwin to Tamim, no run, carrom ball, quicker and flatter outside off, cramps Tamim for room as he cuts it to point
0.2 -
Ashwin to Tamim, no run, darts in a flatter one this time, skids on outside leg and Tamim is late on the flick, gets hit on the thigh pad
0.1 -
Ashwin to Tamim, no run, big appeal first ball. Generously tossed up, Tamim plonked forward to defend but played for turn, which wasn't there. Hits him on the knee-roll but the impact was slightly outside off. Boos reverberate across the stadium
Tamim and Soumya Sarkar are at the crease. Tamim is on strike. Ashwin will open the attack
So that concludes the 2016 Asia Cup. India have had great practice ahead of the World T20. They have won as many as 10 out of their last 11 games. Dhoni spoke about the side being well-settled and surely, they are red-hot favourites for the crown. We still have a bit of time though. A few teams have already arrived in India, while the rest will be there very soon. The qualifiers have already begun and Bangladesh will be playing the qualifiers for a place in the main tournament. Good luck to them, for they played excellent cricket here in the Asia Cup. It was great bringing all the action to you. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Looking forward to your company for the qualifiers. Goodbye!
- As of now, under MS Dhoni's able leadership, India have won eight multi-nation tournaments. He finds himself in the fourth place in that regard.
- MS Dhoni also became the first Indian to thump 300 international sixes.
- MS Dhoni has ended a T20I with a six on three occasions now (successful run-chases).
- This is also the second occasion that India have won the Asia Cup, with MS Dhoni as the captain.
- India have now won all their eight encounters batting second in T20Is in Mirpur.
- This was the first time, India took part in a rain curtailed game in T20Is. The Indian camp would be pleased that they ended up on the winning side.
- It is also their seventh successive victory in T20Is. It equals India's best run in this format of the game.
- This is already the most number of matches that India have won in a calendar year in T20Is.
- India have been on a roll in the shortest format of the game, in recent times. They have won 10 out of their last 11 encounters. Their only loss in that period came against Sri Lanka in Pune.
- This is the sixth time, India have won the Asia Cup. As a result, India have now won the most number of Asia Cups. India also had emerged triumphant in the inaugural Asia Cup in 1983-84 in Sharjah (50-over format).
India put up a fine all-round show to usurp Bangladesh in the final and lift the coveted Asia Cup trophy. Here are a few interesting stats related to India's noteworthy triumph.
As Dhoni was being interviewed, the rest of the players were busy taking a group selfie on their phones! Now Dhoni collects the trophy and his team-mates join him before posing for the cameras.
Dhoni: "Thanks to the top-order batsmen, they have been doing really well. In the last few games that we have played, the top-order batsmen have done most of the job. They gave us a good platform once again. I think it is important for us to get a settled combination and that's what we have got right from the Australian series. We are on track for the World T20. The beauty about (Jasprit) Bumrah is that he has the yorkers. He has a slightly different action as well. Hardik (Pandya) can bowl a few overs for us and he can bat and field as well, it's a great package. Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) is someone who loves to bat at No. 4, but looking at this team it's really difficult to give him that slot but he's really adjusted batting at No.5. Not just the top eleven, the rest of the guys in this side are match-winners as well. The good thing is they shoulder responsibility and never leave it to someone."
Now time for the Indian players to get their medallions.
Mortaza: "I think credit goes to the boys, they played really well. Disappointed that we didn't do well in the final. The boys are really working hard. We have some exciting batsmen and bowlers, hopefully this team will carry on from here. We have to play the qualifiers first before the World T20. We are looking forward to it."
The Bangladeshi players receive their medallions.
Sabbir Rahman is the Man of the Series. He scored 176 runs across 5 matches, at a SR of nearly 124.
Dhawan: "It is very special (to get this award tonight). The best thing is we won the tournament. We worked hard as a team. Performing at the right time was good. We were comfortable while chasing and we never felt the pressure and things were under control. It is good to win matches for the side."
Shikhar Dhawan is the Man of the Match for his timely fifty.
Ravi Shastri: "I just told them today that it is the final. Just remember the celebrations that Bangladesh had when they beat us in the ODI series, so just go out there and get the bloody job done (smiles). This is a damn good all-round side. If we get off to a good start, we can chase down any score. If there is anything that we need to improve, it is the bowling department. I was not surprised one bit to see them chase this down easily. When you have a team like this, it makes it so exciting."
"It was a tricky situation with Rohit getting out early. Me and Shikhar had to string a partnership. Credit goes to Shikhar for the way he batted. Big game player and delivering when the team needed the most. Struck it beautifully and that 94-run stand was the gamechanger. I'm still very young, not even 28. I try to stick to my basics, keep my head still and back my strengths so the risk becomes less. Don't try to hit sixes. Was pretty electrifying in the stadium. Always big support for Bangladesh. Credit to them to make it into their fortress. I like the crowd being against me, pumps me up. More they boo me, more it motivates me," says a delighted Virat Kohli.
This win was a corroboration of why Dhawan's seemingly reserved India berth isn't a function of his form. In a big final, against the hosts and chasing a target that could perhaps intimidate, Dhawan put a vociferous Dhaka crowd on sleeping pills en route to a blistering half-century - an innings that was flawlessly tinfoil'd by Kohli. No slip meant the southpaw survived on 11 and Bangladesh kept getting shorter end of the stick going forward. Shakib couldn't "Ashwin" a spell in a final, leaking 15 runs in the follow-up over to absolutely unhinge the floodgates. Dhawan later fell to a Soumya Sarkar stunner at point but not before unleashing India out of a jar Bangladesh had limited them into. Al-Amin had nipped out nemesis Rohit Sharma early to ramp hopes but they eventually yielded to the slip-karma. Dhoni walked in ahead of everybody else, let fans relive a 2011 Wankhede and swung his way to an Asia Cup title.
No real celebrations from the Indians. Just the normal stuff. Handshakes and hugs. That really seemed as if they won a normal cricket game and not a final. No great emotions from the Indian players.
13.5 -
Al-Amin to Dhoni, SIX, another chance for me to say, "Dhoni finishes off in style." We've seen this so many times. Full toss from Al-Amin and Dhoni muscles it over mid-wicket. India win the 2016 Asia Cup, this is their 6th Asia Cup title
13.4 -
Al-Amin to Dhoni, FOUR, that is so unlike Dhoni! I say so unlike Dhoni because he bent his knees to hit this over extra-cover. Doesn't do that normally. Probably learnt this trick from Dwayne Bravo, who is an expert at the inside-out extra-cover drive. Full and outside off stump, Dhoni just lifts it over the infield and it bounces just inside the rope
13.3 -
Al-Amin to Kohli, 3 runs, oh thankfully Al-Amin didn't get his foot to it, otherwise, the ankle or a part of his right leg would have come off! Low full toss, drilled very hard, the bowler tried to stop it with his leg, Mahmudullah runs to his right from long-off and stops the boundary, it's a direct-hit at the bowler's end, but Dhoni was well in, it deflects away and allows the batsmen an extra run
13.2 -
Al-Amin to Dhoni, 1 run, very full and on the stumps, Dhoni drills it to long-on
13.1 -
Al-Amin to Dhoni, SIX, oh my word! That's been muscled really hard! The Indian flags are being waved in the stands, while the Bangladeshi fans go silent. What? Full and in the slot? You got to be kidding me. Dhoni gets under it and smashes it over deep mid-wicket. Great start to the over for India
Al-Amin Hossain [2.0-0-10-1] is back into the attack
Great over under pressure. Just 5 runs and the wicket of Dhawan in it. India need 19 off 12 balls now. What a spell this is from Taskin. His figures read 3-0-14-1.
12.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhoni, 1 run, good length delivery angled in, Dhoni almost flicks this to long-on. He'll keep strike with that run
12.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhoni, 2 runs, shortish delivery outside off stump, Dhoni mistimes the pull to deep mid-wicket, Kohli wanted two and pushed his captain, made it back comfortably as well. The throw should have gone to Dhoni's end
MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease
12.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, out Caught by Soumya Sarkar!! Oh stylish hit and that's a brilliant grab at backward point. That breaks a 94-run stand. Is this the opening Bangladesh wanted to turn things around? Dhawan moved to the off-side, Taskin Ahmed bowled a low full toss outside off stump, Dhawan tried to open the face of the bat at the last moment and place the drive past backward point, didn't control it, Sarkar dives full length to his right at backward point and takes the catch. End of a fantastic and probably a match-winning knock. Dhawan c Soumya Sarkar b Taskin Ahmed 60(44) [4s-9 6s-1]
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, 1 run, almost a yorker outside off stump, Kohli drills it off the bottom of the bat to long-on. Taskin tumbles onto the ground after releasing the ball in his followthrough
12.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, 1 run, fullish and on the stumps, Dhawan whips it along the ground to deep mid-wicket
12.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, no run, Dhawan moves across the stumps and tries to target backward square leg as there is no one protecting the boundary, Taskin cramps him for room with a short of length delivery, which is mis-hit to the man in the circle
Taskin Ahmed [2.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack
India are doing this nicely. 24 needed off 18 balls and this is surely in their bag. Can Bangladesh steal it? Mortaza takes his time to set the field. Mahmudullah has a chat with Taskin, while Dhawan surveys the outfield
11.6 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, very full and outside off stump, Dhawan drives it along the ground to long-off
11.5 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, FOUR, oh Taskin almost falls before diving, ran awkwardly there, the umpires are checking for a boundary. Hang on, he actually pushed the rope forward and his left hand was placed where the rope would have normally been, hence called a four and all that effort goes in vain. Shortish delivery on the stumps, Dhawan paddled it fine, Taskin tried to hunt it down from short fine leg but lost the race
11.4 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli steps out and tries to slog, goes off the inside half of the bat to long-on
11.3 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, FOUR, full toss and that's been swung away across the line by Kohli. Easy pickings for the batsman and long-on or deep mid-wicket had no chance. Nasir Hossain's figures are seriously being spoiled
11.2 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, FOUR, in the air, not timed well, the fielder dives but it escapes. Fell just short of Al-Amin at deep mid-wicket. Kohli went for the slog-sweep and mis-hit it, the fielder runs to his left, but couldn't get his body behind the line and prevent the boundary
11.1 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, short and asking for trouble, Dhawan pulls well but there is protection at deep backward square leg
A 11-run over from Shakib spoils things for Bangladesh after that 3-run over from Nasir Hossain.
10.6 -
Shakib to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan goes for the drive with an open face and slices it to deep backward point
10.5 -
Shakib to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli steps out and drives it to extra-cover
10.4 -
Shakib to Dhawan, 1 run, very full and outside off stump, Dhawan reaches out and squeezes the drive to deep backward point
10.3 -
Shakib to Dhawan, no run, shortish from Shakib, Dhawan comes down the track and defends back to the bowler
10.2 -
Shakib to Dhawan, FOUR, full toss from Shakib, Dhawan reverse-sweeps it past the diving man at short third man and that brings up Dhawan's fifty. He was struggling to put bat on ball earlier in the tourney and he notches up a fifty in the final. His team-mates stand and applaud from the sidelines
10.1 -
Shakib to Dhawan, FOUR, flighted delivery on the stumps, Dhawan slog-sweeps uppishly, deep mid-wicket runs forward and dives, doesn't get there, deflects the ball, the fielder backing up from deep backward square leg got completely put off and it ran away for four
Shakib Al Hasan [1.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack
9.6 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, no run, huuuuuge shout for LBW, not given by umpire Shozab Raza and Bangladesh can't believe it! Was there bat involved? Otherwise it looked OUT. Very full and on the stumps, Kohli attempts a fancy looking reverse-paddle, why would you want to do all that when conventional stuff works wonders for you, the replay is in and the umpire was very good. It was a top-edge onto Kohli's chest
9.5 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan steps out and Nasir Hossain fires it wide outside off stump, the left-hander manages to reach out and tap it to sweeper cover
9.4 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, 1 run, good looking inside-out drive, but straight to long-off. Turning out to be an excellent over, just 2 off the first 4 balls
9.3 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, this time Dhawan sweeps uppishly through backward square leg, but there is protection in the deep
9.2 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, no run, good bowling from Nasir. Saw Dhawan jumping out of the crease and dragged it back, Dhawan tried to work it on the on-side, got an inside edge onto pad
9.1 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, no run, round the wicket to Dhawan and beats him on the flick once again, didn't turn, Dhawan gets hit on the pad, was going down the leg-side though
So the equation reads 53 off 36 balls. With 9 wickets in hand, you would pick the batting team, but you never know! Bangladesh desperately need a couple of quick wickets.
8.6 -
Mortaza to Kohli, no run, sensible from Kohli, already 9 off the over, hence respects the length delivery with a defence back to the bowler
8.5 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, 1 run, once again that across the stumps movement from Dhawan, short of length delivery from Mortaza, which is punched off the back foot towards mid-on
8.4 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Dhawan dabs fine, but picks out the man at short third man. A couple of yards either side of the fielder would have been four
8.3 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, SIX, this is brave from Dhawan. He moves across the sticks this time, gets down on one knee and picks it away nicely over backward square leg. There was a man in the deep, but he was only a spectator
8.2 -
Mortaza to Kohli, 1 run, this is cleverly steered down to third man off the back foot, just opened the face of the bat at the last moment, but the man at third man was quick enough to move to his left and bend down in time
8.1 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan exposes all three sticks even before the bowler got into his delivery stride, it was the slower ball on the shorter side and Dhawan cut it hard to the man sweeping on the off-side
7.6 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, full toss outside off stump, Dhawan steps and drives along the ground to sweeper cover
7.5 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, 1 run, oh a direct-hit would have been very tight, but the replay shows that he would have been in. He hit this to mid-wicket and set off, Mortaza had a shy at the bowler's end, Kohli had to really stretch a long way to make his ground
7.4 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, no run, fullish and outside off stump, Kohli drives hard, but Mahmudullah intervenes at cover
7.3 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan steps out and inside-edges the drive wide of long-on
7.2 -
Nasir Hossain to Dhawan, no run, shout for LBW and the crowd wakes up suddenly. Shake of the head from the umpire though as it was sliding down the leg-side, Dhawan missed the flick, the ball hit him in line with middle and leg but the angle from round the wicket was taking it past the sticks. Hawk-Eye confirms the same
7.1 -
Nasir Hossain to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli wanted to flick to mid-wicket, but he closed the bat face early and the leading edge rolled towards backward point
Nasir Hossain, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, no run, this is driven back to the bowler
6.5 -
Mortaza to Kohli, 1 run, again a poor delivery, good length delivery down the leg-side, Kohli would have wanted to tickle it fine, but only managed to inside-edge it onto thigh pad
6.4 -
Mortaza to Kohli, FOUR, have Bangladesh lost it completely? They have been really bad with the ball in the last few minutes. This time the captain himself sprays a short of length delivery down the leg-side, Kohli only flicked it along the ground through backward square leg, Taskin ran to his left from fine leg and even dived full length, but he was never going to stop the ball
6.3 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, 1 run, shortish and on the stumps, Dhawan rolls his wrists on the pull to send it along the ground to deep square leg. 50 up for India and a few players from the dug out applaud
6.2 -
Mortaza to Dhawan, no run, the off-cutting slower delivery across the left-hander, Dhawan was beaten for pace, poked on the push and got beaten
Rahim comes up to the stumps to prevent Dhawan from racing down the pitch
6.1 -
Mortaza to Kohli, 1 run, shortish delivery outside off stump, Kohli hops and steers it to third man
Mashrafe Mortaza, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
It was 19/1 after 4 overs, but now it is 48/1. Gee, this game of cricket changes so quickly.
5.6 -
Shakib to Dhawan, FOUR, the crowd goes silent. Actually, they have been silent for the last 8-9 minutes. The previous over went for 14 and this one has cost them 15. Short delivery from Shakib, really bad ball and being a batsman himself he would admit it, Dhawan rocks back and pulls hard, deep mid-wicket dives to his left but in vain
5.5 -
Shakib to Dhawan, 2 runs, Dhawan steps out and nudges it to mid-wicket, the fielder rushes from the deep, but Dhawan was always keen for the second and he would have been hom even with a clean pick up
5.4 -
Shakib to Dhawan, no run, shortish and on the stumps, Dhawan defends it into the on-side
5.3 -
Shakib to Dhawan, FOUR, Dhawan is very strong square of the wicket on the off-side and you can't bowl short to him. He goes deep in the crease, allows the ball to come and opens the face of the bat at the last moment to cut it past backward point and short third man
5.2 -
Shakib to Kohli, 1 run, tossed up outside off stump, Kohli waits and drives along the ground to long-off
5.1 -
Shakib to Kohli, FOUR, short ball and it's been hit in the air, no one at mid-wicket, would have been straight to him, in fact this is in gap between long-on and deep mid-wicket and it's a four. Kohli went back and deep in the crease, pulled it from the bottom of the bat and it escaped for four
Shakib Al Hasan, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
4.6 -
Abu Hider to Dhawan, FOUR, edged, there is a man at slip but he's very wide! How lucky is Dhawan? All of a sudden, India have managed a 14-run over. This could change the momentum of the game. Good length delivery close to the off stump, Dhawan goes for the push, the front foot not fully forward, a thick edge results, fly slip is very wide and it goes to his right despite a dive
4.5 -
Abu Hider to Kohli, 1 run, direct-hit, but Kohli was well in. Fullish and outside off stump, Kohli drives it to mid-off, takes on the fielder and makes his ground before the throw disturbed the stumps
4.4 -
Abu Hider to Kohli, FOUR, in the airrrrrrr and just over the man at mid-off. Kohli wants to put the new bowler off very quickly. Fullish and outside off stump, Kohli steps out and goes for the lofted off-drive, Tamim was interested for a while, he jumped high and went right-handed, but he had to be a foot taller to have a chance. Big relief on Kohli's face after seeing the ball fly past Tamim
Abu Hider to Kohli for the first time! Slip waiting for the edge
4.3 -
Abu Hider to Dhawan, 1 run, it's been three good deliveries first up from Abu Hider. Full and on the off stump, Dhawan drives it towards mid-off, not from the middle of the bat though
4.2 -
Abu Hider to Dhawan, no run, where was Dhawan going? Fullish and aimed at the off stump, Dhawan drives on the walk and looks for a run, but the bowler fields the ball and forces Dhawan to rush back
Slip added now
4.1 -
Abu Hider to Dhawan, FOUR, edged but no slip. Good length delivery just outside off stump, probably left the left-hander at the last moment, Dhawan was pushing at it with hard hands and the thick edge ran away through the vacant slip cordon
Abu Hider, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Is Kohli going to bat through and the others go for it from the other end? Is that the strategy? Kohli's approach so far suggests so. He's only keen on rotating the strike.
3.6 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, 1 run, in the air, man in the deep, but it falls well short. Shortish and angled across, Dhawan goes for the pull, had to fetch it from outside off, mistimed it completely and it landed well before the man coming from deep mid-wicket
3.5 -
Al-Amin to Kohli, 1 run, back of a length outside off stump, watchfully worked behind square leg on the on-side
3.4 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan jumps out of the crease and drives the short of length delivery to mid-off
3.3 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, FOUR, oh that's poor from the fielder at short fine leg. Skipper Mortaza is not happy and Taskin is the culprit. Poor delivery from Al-Amin though. Can't bowl down the leg-side with fine leg inside the ring, Dhawan glances, Taskin dives to his right, should have been stopped but it escaped
3.2 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, no run, down the track but Al-Amin drags his length back and forces the batsman to tap the ball back to his left
3.1 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, no run, good length delivery just outside off stump, just a bit of movement into the left-hander, Dhawan mistimes the drive into the off-side
This is a great start for Bangladesh. The bowling has been tight and the Indian batsmen are not willing to take risks yet. The asking rate has jumped to 9.
2.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, 1 run, Taskin charges in and bowls a back of a length on the leg stump, Dhawan works it behind square, short fine leg tidies up. He'll keep strike
2.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, 1 run, width on offer outside off stump, Kohli goes for the cut, again not bouncing much, the ball goes off the bottom of the bat and runs away to the right of backward point
2.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, no run, good looking delivery and neatly played by Kohli as well. Good length delivery angled in on off stump, Kohli watchfully works it to mid-on
2.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, no run, short of length delivery just coming back in, Kohli defends off the back foot with soft hands
2.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, 2 runs, punched off the front foot, the ball kept low and it went off the bottom of the bat, Kohli is quick, puts pressure on the man at sweeper cover and easily comes back as the fielder in the deep had a bit of ground to cover running to his right
2.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Kohli, no run, wow! Good delivery. Fullish and swinging back in late, Kohli wasn't fully forward on the drive, got it a thickish inside edge that rolled back to the bowler
Yuvraj Singh is padded up.
1.6 -
Al-Amin to Dhawan, no run, fullish on middle, Dhawan defends
1.5 -
Al-Amin to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli walks towards the bowler and defends this with soft hands towards point, Dhawan responds for a quick single and makes his ground. No direct-hit at the striker's end
1.4 -
Al-Amin to Kohli, 2 runs, oh that's hit very hard first ball, Mahmudullah runs around and stops, oh he fumbles and it almost touches the rope. Short and wide outside off stump, Kohli cuts really well through cover, the man at sweeper runs to his right, makes a tumbling save, only managed a half-stop as it turned out, then quickly recovered and dived to pull it back just in time
Virat Kohli, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.3 -
Al-Amin to Rohit, out Caught by Soumya Sarkar!! Edgedddd, only one slip in place and the fielder makes no mistake. Short of a length delivery outside off stump, Al-Amin bowls with a scrambled seam and sometimes the batsman can't make out which way it is going to go. This one just held its line, Rohit played a flashy-drive away from the body and paid the price. Thick edge resulted, which was swallowed to his left by Sarkar. Rohit is a batsman in form and this is a massive blow for India and the perfect start for Bangladesh. Rohit c Soumya Sarkar b Al-Amin 1(5)
Al-Amin to Rohit, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
1.2 -
Al-Amin to Rohit, no run, shout for LBW and the crowd gets behind as well, umpire shakes his head, Al-Amin has a look at him but it was a good call from umpire Shozab Raza. Al-Amin asks if it was high and Raza responds in kind. Slightly back of a length nipping back in, Rohit was caught on the crease, feet went nowhere and it hit him high on the pad
Both third man and fine leg are in
1.1 -
Al-Amin to Rohit, no run, a back foot punch with an angled bat, Rohit covered for the late movement away from him on this short of length delivery, hit it well, but straight to cover-point
Al-Amin Hossain, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Lone slip for Al-Amin as well
0.6 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, no run, short and angled across, a confident looking Dhawan would have normally upper-cut that, mind you he plays that upper-cut with his feet in the air so well, but he wants to be careful here. Just watches the ball sail through to the keeper
Looks like something behind the bowler is bothering Dhawan again. He stops Taskin and then walks towards the umpire to point out something. All sorted now
0.5 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, no run, shortish and on the off stump, just a bit of away movement on this one, Dhawan is slightly opened up in his back foot defence
0.4 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, FOUR, now that is from the sweetest spot of the bat. What a shot! Short of a length just outside off stump, Dhawan waited for it to come, bent his knees a bit and punched it square of the wicket on the off-side, it rocketed through cover-point and backward point. The good thing there was Dhawan never tried to hit it too hard, which made the shot look even better
0.3 -
Taskin Ahmed to Dhawan, no run, oh that was a friendly delivery from Taskin, short of length delivery down the leg-side, a fine little tickle would have been four, but Dhawan is totally out of form that he fails to connect and wears it on the thigh pad
Dhawan has hardly scored runs in the tournament so far. Can he do it today? A slight delay as Dhawan is not happy with the sightscreen.
0.2 -
Taskin Ahmed to Rohit, 1 run, bit of steep bounce on this short of length delivery outside off stump, came back in slightly as well, Rohit rises tall and runs it down to third man
0.1 -
Taskin Ahmed to Rohit, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, no swing, no movement off the pitch as well, Rohit stands tall and easily defends it into the off-side. He found the middle of the bat as well, something that would make him feel really good
Rohit and Dhawan are at the crease. Rohit is on strike. Taskin Ahmed will open the attack