By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANS
Mirpur, Dhaka : Riding on a brilliant century from Gautam Gambhir, India defeated Bangladesh by 46 runs in the second One-day International here Saturday to wrest the three-match series 2-0.
Gambhir scored 101 (113 balls, 11x4s) as India piled up 284 for eight wickets in 49 overs as the match started late after morning drizzle and was reduced by two overs. Bangladesh made 238 for nine wickets in 49 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
Debutant leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three wickets for 37 off 10 overs. He also played a part in opener Tamim Iqbal's run out. Pacer Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh took two wickets each.
India had won the first match by five wickets at the same venue. The third match will be played in Chittagong Tuesday.
After captain Rahul Dravid won the toss, Gambhir, playing his 21st match, and Virender Sehwag gave a good start to India. Gambhir hit almost run-a-ball to remind the selectors of his mettle and that they made a mistake by dropping him often in recent times.
The left-hander, who was named the Man of the Match, started briskly in the company of his Delhi team mate Sehwag and maintained the scoring rate almost all through the innings. He duly completed his second century, though with a reprieve at 95. Left-arm spinner Sakibul Hasan dropped a return catch with India at 193 for three, but the slip did not prove costly.
Gambhir, 25, has not got fair treatment from the selectors in recent times 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.
He scored 21 in the India's five-wicket win here Thursday, and came into his own Saturday with the century. His first ton had come against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad in November 2005.
Both Gambhir and Sehwag looked in good touch and scored 43 for the opening wicket, before left-arm pacer Syed Rasel had Sehwag (21, 26 balls, 1×4, 1×6) 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 sensible batting. The partnership was broken 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). Both added 87 for the second wicket.
Yuvraj Singh looked in good touch, but he seemed in a hurry to score. He lofted Rafique for a six over long on and sent the next ball to long off boundary. The over cost Rafique 12 runs. In the next over, Yuvraj lofted Razzak for a six and drove to long on for four as the bowler conceded 13.
But Rafique had the final say when he caught Yuvraj (24, 22 balls, 2x4s, 2x6s) off his own bowling. The left-hander looked indecisive and seemed to check his shot at the last moment.
Soon, Gambhir reached his century off 111 balls. He smashed 11 boundaries. But two balls later he was out, bowled by Rasel.
Dravid, as usual, also 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.
Bangladesh batsmen hardly looked in their best form. Although there were three 40-plus scores – Aftab Ahmed (40), captain Habibul Bashar (43) Mashrafe Mortaza 47), there were no big partnerships so essential while chasing big totals.
Bashar, batting at No. 6, tried to hold the innings with his dogged batting. But considering that Bangladesh had lost three wickets for 60, Bashar should have come ahead Mohammed Ashraful, who was bowled by a Chawla googly.
It was Chawla who gave the first breakthrough with his run out of Tamim Iqbal at 18.
But the Bangladesh batsmen did not apply themselves and some of them were out playing ambitious shots.
Towards the end, when the run rate climbed to unattainable heights, fast bowler Mortaza, who returned to the eleven after missing the first match with back spasm, carted left-arm spinner Mongia for four successive sixes on his way to a 30-ball 47 (1×4, 5x6s).
Mongia conceded 26 runs in that, 47th, over. But Mortaza was out in the next over as he was clearly suffering from the back pain and hobbling.
When 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
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: (b 1, lb 7, w 9, nb 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)
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)