As India defeated Bangladesh by five runs in a crucial Twenty20 World Cup match in Adelaide that went down to the last ball, Virat Kohli became the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
After Bangladesh struggled in their revised chase of 151 in 16 overs, India moves to the top of Group 2 and can seal a berth in the semifinals with a victory over Zimbabwe in their final Group 2 encounter on Sunday.
India reached 184/6 thanks to Kohli’s unbeaten 64, but Bangladesh seemed to be winning after speeding to 66/0 in seven overs when play was suspended due to rain, which resulted in the loss of four overs.
Liton Das, the opener, scored a 27-ball 60, but his run out during the 50-minute break signaled Bangladesh’s collapse, which resulted in a score of 145/6.
Nurul Hasan gave them hope with a six and a four when they needed 20 runs off the last over, but left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh retained his composure on the penultimate ball to give India their third victory in four games.
The defeat effectively eliminates Bangladesh from contention for the semifinals.
When he reached his fifty in 21 balls, Das gave the squad an explosive start. However, when he was bowled by KL Rahul’s straight shot, India roared back.
Arshdeep turned the tables by scoring twice in one over, including the reward of captain Shakib Al Hasan for 13.
In the 13th over, Hardik Pandya claimed two wickets as Bangladesh dropped from 98/2 to 108/6, falling short of their DLS method mark despite Hasan’s 14-ball 25.
With a stand of 67 runs, Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 64, and Rahul, who scored a scorching 50, gave India the win.
In the process, Kohli surpassed Mahela Jayawardene, the previous captain of Sri Lanka, who had a total of 1 016 runs, to become the tournament’s most scorer in T20 World Cup history. Jayawardene established the record after 31 innings, while Kohli passed him after only 23.
The in-form Kohli, who had previously scored two half-centuries that won matches at this World Cup, struck his third fifty in 37 balls to energize the mostly Indian audience at Adelaide Oval.
After Bangladesh decided to play, Taskin Ahmed held India tied down early with an outstanding opening burst of seam and swing bowling.
Rahul launched a counterattack to restore his batting form with a flurry of boundaries after Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply for two.
The Indian run rate rose when Rahul, who had only scored 22 runs in the previous three games, smacked two sixes and a four in a 24-run ninth over.
After smashing three fours and four sixes off Shakib, he reached 50 but was bowled out by the left-arm spinner on the next delivery.
The Bangladeshi bowlers did not get a break as Suryakumar Yadav joined Virat Kohli in continuing the onslaught and casually hammered the ball to all areas until Shakib struck once again after he had reached 30 points in 16 balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed himself during a six-ball cameo for 13, which featured a six and four in the last over, while Kohli served as the innings’ anchor.