By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANS
Dhaka : Gautam Gambhir hit a brilliant century, the second of his career, as India defeated Bangladesh by 46 runs in the second One-day International here Saturday and took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series to stamp their superiority.
India's two successive wins mean that the third and final match in Chittagong Tuesday is now of academic interest.
Gambhir scored 101 (113 balls, 11x4s) as India piled up 284 for eight wickets in 49 overs after the match started late due to a morning drizzle. As a result, the match was reduced by two overs. In reply, Bangladesh made 238 for nine wickets in 49 overs, disappointing the packed the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Debutant leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who became the 167th Indian to play in ODI cricket, was the other star of the win as he took three wickets for 37 off 10 overs. He also played a part in opener Tamim Iqbal's run out.
Pacer Zaheer Khan and left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh took two wickets each.
India had won the first match by five wickets at the same venue Thursday.
Gambhir, who was named the Man of the Match, and Virender Sehwag gave a good start to India. The left-hander, playing his 21st match, hit almost run-a-ball to remind the selectors that they had made a mistake by dropping him often in recent times.
The 25-year-old player has not got fair treatment from the selectors in spite of scoring heavily in domestic tournaments. He was dumped after failing to score against the West Indies in Chennai this January, and missed the World Cup in the Caribbean in March-April.
Gambhir started briskly in the company of his Delhi team mate Sehwag and grew in confidence as the match progressed despite the humidity of which he spoke later. He maintained a good scoring rate almost all through the innings.
He duly completed his century, though he got a reprieve at 95. Left-arm spinner Sakibul Hasan dropped his return catch with India at 193 for three, but the slip did not prove costly.
He scored 21 in the India's five-wicket win Thursday, and came into his own Saturday. His first ton had come against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad in November 2005.
Both Gambhir and Sehwag (21, 26 balls, 1×4, 1×6) looked in good touch when they began after captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and opted to bat. They scored 43 for the opening wicket, before left-arm pacer Syed Rasel had Sehwag caught by Javed Omar for the first blow.
But Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored a match-winning 91 not out in the first match, consolidated with some sensible batting. The partnership that looked set to touch 100 was terminated at 87 when Dhoni made too much room to cut against experienced left-arm spinner Mohammed Rafique and edged the ball to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim for 36 (54 balls, 4x4s).
Yuvraj looked in good touch, but he seemed in a hurry to score and off every ball. He lofted Rafique for a six over long on and sent the next ball to long off boundary as 12 came off that over. In the next over, Yuvraj lofted Razzak for a six and drove to long on for four as he conceded 13.
But Rafique had the final say when he caught Yuvraj (24, 22 balls, 2x4s, 2x6s) off his own bowling. The left-hander seemed in two minds and checked his shot at the last moment.
Soon, Gambhir reached his century off 111 balls. But two balls later he was bowled by Rasel.
Dravid, as usual, played the sheet anchor role and made a responsible unbeaten 42 (47 balls, 1×4), while Dinesh Mongia chipped in with 17.
Experienced Rafique took three wickets for a high cost of 59 off 10 overs, while Rasel and Razzak grabbed two wickets each.
The Bangladesh batsmen hardly looked in form and some of them virtually threw away their wickets. There were three 40-plus scores – Aftab Ahmed (40), captain Habibul Bashar (43) Mashrafe Mortaza (47) – but there was no big partnership so essential while chasing big totals.
The biggest stand of the innings was of 59 (92 balls) for the sixth wicket, between Bashar and Mushfiqur Rahim (35).
Bashar, batting at No. 6, tried to hold the innings with his dogged batting. But considering that Bangladesh had lost three wickets for 60, he should have come ahead of Mohammed Ashraful, who was deceived by a well-disguised Chawla googly.
Chawla had also given the first breakthrough when he had run out Iqbal with the total at 18.
The Bangladesh batsmen did not apply themselves and some of them were out playing very ambitious shots.
Towards the end, when the run rate climbed to unattainable heights, fast bowler Mortaza, who returned to the XI after missing the first match with back spasm, carted left-arm spinner Mongia for four successive sixes on his way to 30-ball 47 (1×4, 5x6s).
Mongia conceded 26 runs in that, 47th, over, much to amusement of the crowd. But Mortaza was out in the next over as he was clearly suffering from the back pain and hobbling.
By the time Mortaza was caught by Sehwag off Yuvraj, Bangladesh were well and truly beaten.
SCOREBOARD
Second One-day International, India vs. Bangladesh, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
India:
Virender Sehwag c Omar b Rasel 21
Gautam Gambhir b Rasel 101
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Rahim b Rafique 36
Yuvraj Singh c and b Rafique 24
Rahul Dravid not out 42
Dinesh Mongia c Rafique b Razzak 17
Dinesh Karthik lbw b Rafique 6
Piyush Chawla st Rahim b Razzak 1
Ramesh Powar lbw b Mortaza 5
Zaheer Khan not out 9
Extras: (bye 1, leg byes 7, wides 9, no balls 5) 22
Total: (for eight wickets in 49 overs) 284
Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Sehwag, 7.4 overs), 2-130 (Dhoni, 25.5), 3-174 (Yuvraj, 31.6), 4/210 (Gambhir, 38.3), 5/239 (43.2), 6/251 (Karthik, 44.4), 7/258 (45.3), 8/273 (Powar, 48.1)
Bowling:
Mashrafe Mortaza 10 0 57 1 (3nb, 4w)
Syed Rasel 10 1 49 2 (1nb)
Abdur Razzak 10 0 59 2 (1nb, 4w)
Sakibul Hasan 7 0 40 0
Mohammad Rafique 10 0 59 3
Aftab Ahmed 2 0 12 0
Bangladesh:
Javed Omar c Karthik b Khan 11
Tamim Iqbal run out (Chawla/Dhoni) 7
Aftab Ahmed b Powar 40
Saqibul Hasan c Dhoni b Khan 5
Mohammad Ashraful b Chawla 12
Habibul Bashar st Dhoni b Chawla 43
Mushfiqur Rahim c Karthik b Yuvraj 35
Mashrafe Mortaza c Sehwag b Yuvraj 47
Mohammad Rafique c substitute (Robin Uthappa) b Chawla 13
Abdur Razzak not out 9
Syed Rasel not out 4
Extras: (b 4, lb 2, w 8, nb 3) 17
Total: (for nine wickets in 49 overs) 238
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Iqbal, 4.6 overs), 2-51 (Omar, 10.4 overs), 3-60 (Hasan, 12.3), 4-86 (Ashraful, 16.5), 5-92 (Ahmed, 19.6), 6-151 (Rahim, 35.2 ov), 7-176 (Bashar, 40.3), 8/192 (Rafique, 44.1), 9/230 (Mortaza, 47.1)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 7 0 32 2 (3nb, 1w)
Munaf Patel 7 0 34 0 (2w)
Piyush Chawla 10 0 37 3 (2w)
Ramesh Powar 10 1 32 1
Dinesh Mongia 8 0 57 0
Yuvraj Singh 7 0 40 2 (2w)
Result: India won by 46 runs
Man of the Match: Gautam Gambhir (India)
Umpires: Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka) and Enamul Haque (Bangladesh)
TV umpire: A.F.M. Akhtaruddin (Bangladesh)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)