India beat Bangladesh in Champions Trophy semi-final. (Source: AP)
Bangladesh had no answer to India’s dominance. Playing their first ever semi-final of an ICC event, Bangladesh looked good only for 10 overs in the entire game. But they had their chances in the match which they lost to crash out of the tournament. India dominated proceedings but there were some slip-ups as well. Some crucial moments decided the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 semi-final which India won by nine wickets against Bangladesh. India will now face Pakistan in the final at The Oval on Sunday.
Pitch: The wicket at Edgbaston was ideal for batting. Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim showed that while batting for Bangladesh. They applied themselves really well. They trusted the bounce and played some good shots. They had a boundary almost every one over. Later, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli showed a variety of shots. Bowlers might not have got any purchase from the pitch but a consistent line and length would have been sufficient.
Kedar Jadhav: Jadhav the batsman was not needed by India. But, Jadhav the bowler turned out to be the hero for India. Bangladesh were cruising at one stage, having scored 142 for 2 from 25 overs but Kohli introduced Jadhav and he gave India a wicket — Tamim Iqbal was bowled. He later had Mushfiqur caught at mid-wicket. He turned around the match on it’s head by removing the two set batsmen. Bangladesh’s run-rate fell from 5.52 to 3.50 after Jadhav was introduced.
Death bowling: India major concerns in ODIs had been death overs. Before Kohli took over the captaincy, bowlers had struggled to contain the opposition at death. Before the 2015 World Cup, India faced a lot of criticism for death bowling. But, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have changed that record. Against Bangladesh, India conceded only 57 runs in the last 10 overs.
Indian openers: The best opening pair in this Champions Trophy has been India’s. They now have two century stands, one fifty stand and a 23-run stand. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan play fearless cricket and compliment each other. Once again they set the platform for the chase by scoring at more than six runs per over at the start of the innings.
Bangladesh bowlers: If you want to contain a batting line-up like India, bowling random deliveries won’t do it. Rohit and Dhawan smashed the short-ball, drove the full one and tucked the good ones for singles. A consistent line and length will force the batsman to make a mistake.
