Mehidy Hasan Miraz again came up with the goods as his heroic performance of 81-ball 100 and two wickets steered Bangladesh to a 5 run victory against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday. With this win, Tigers win the 3-match series and take a 2-0 lead.
Another cracking finish in Mirpur. Mehidy and Mahmudullah set it up, dragging Bangladesh up to 271 for 7 from the pits of 69 for 6. India, powered by an injured Rohit, took the game down to the final ball, but Mutafizur held his nerve and closed it out.
A heroic performance of 100* from 81 balls from Mehidy led the way for the hosts, as he added 148 with Mahmudullah after Bangladesh were 69 for 6 at one stage. They took the momentum into the dressing room after the first half, but who knew they would have to give it away so often, with Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel quickly adding 107, and Rohit thrashing a rapid fifty at the end.
It is a memorable series win for Bangladesh, their second successive one at home against India, seven years apart. They haven't lost a home ODI series since October 2016, so the result shouldn't really be surprising but it's still one that not many expected. Rohit tried his best at the end, walking out half-fit and launching into an array of shots, but he fell one big shot away from taking India across the line. Axar and Iyer were impressive earlier in the chase after India had slipped to a precarious situation.
Bangladesh's bowlers were clinical with the new-ball and then responded well in the key moments to ensure that the series was sealed with a game in hand. All the bowlers did their part but Ebadot and Shakib were the standouts, with Mehidy also picking up two crucial wickets to add to this superlative ton early in the day.
