Champions Trophy 2017: SF-2 India vs. Bangladesh: 5 Game-Changing Moments

The much-awaited tie between India and Bangladesh took place in the rain-threatened ground of Edgbaston, the ground notoriously known for the two washed out matches in the tournament thus far. One thing that was positive for India was the men in blue won against arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue in the opening match.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, entered the semi-finals, thanks to their solitary win against New Zealand in the group where it seemed like Australia and England would go through. The surprise contenders had all the more reasons to cause a surprise coming off a comprehensive victory in their last game against New Zealand.

Batting first, the Tigers’ could only muster 264 runs, despite a good partnership from the former skipper Mushfiqur Rahman and southpaw Tamim Iqbal who combined to score 123 runs together. For India, it was Kedar Jadhav who broke the partnership by dismissing the left-handed in form batsman, while also accounting for the former Bangladeshi skipper.

India managed to win the match without scrapping too much in return with a blistering opening wicket partnership from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 87 runs for the opening wicket. Virat Kohli combined with Rohit Sharma to guide the team home comfortably.

Here are the five game-changing moments from India’s win over Bangladesh in the second semi-finals:

#1 Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, the best opening bowler for India

It would be a surprise not to mention the right-arm seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the game-changing moments. The right-arm seamer has been the in-form bowler for the country, picking up regular wickets at the top of the order in the absence of the fellow right-arm pacer Umesh Yadav.

Bhuvneshwar provided the perfect start as he sent back the opener Soumya Sarkar in the very first over for a duck. And when Sabbir Rahman looked threatening with his intent for a counter-attack, the Indian pacer accounted for his wicket too in the 7th over.

#2 Kedar Jadhav’s breaking the crucial partnership

It was not long before that the management had found an able part-time spinner in the form of the right-handed batsman Kedar Jadhav, who was also picked as the backup wicketkeeper in the series against England. The series against England which followed the series against New Zealand, Kedar Jadhav rolled his hands to pick up crucial wickets for Team India.

None of those wickets would be as critical as the ones he picked up in the clash against Bangladesh. The offie picked up the wicket of the in-form batsman Tamim Iqbal, before picking up the wicket of the former skipper Mushfiqur Rahman. The wickets did not only shape the game towards India but put the team in pole position to a victory

#3 Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma continue to make merry

The Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma continued to make merry at the top of the order for the team, going past the other openers as the pair with most runs in the tournament thus far. The opening wicket conundrum has been finally solved by the team, with the left-hand, right-hand combination at the top of the order, reminiscent of Sehwag-Gambhir

In the semi-final clash against Bangladesh, the Indian openers accounted for 87 runs to give the team a perfect platform for Virat Kohli to follow his merry run. The openers have been crucial for the team, with them making the starts that the management would have hoped for at the beginning of the tournament.

#4 Rohit Sharma brushing aside himself to form

Ahead of the tournament, there were fingers raised at the right-hander’s form, but he has responded to the critics in sublime form with consistent scores in all the four games that India have played in the tournament thus far.

The Mumbaikar saved his best for the second semi-final clash against Bangladesh, where he ended up as the top scorer of the match with a knock of 123 runs coming off just 129 deliveries, with 15 boundaries and one six while also being adjudged as the man of the match. He looked in a great touch and played the trademark shots that brought the crowd to its feet every time.

#5 Virat Kohli continues to break records at this own pace

The Indian skipper Virat Kohli was the much-sought-after batsman coming into a tournament such as the Champions Trophy. Kohli was previously part of India’s successful outing in the 2013 Champions Trophy, where they ended up as winners against the hosts in a tense finale. The skipper has grown a lot in stature and has become one of the biggest mainstays in the Indian batting line-up.

The batsman hit the right note in only his first international game in return with a well made 81 against Pakistan. In the following match, the right-hander failed to open his account only to return with scores of 76 and 96 against South Africa and Bangladesh in the encounters that followed.