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Bengal Tigers slaughter Men in Blue
Cricket fanatics watched with bewilderment as World Cup favorites Team India went down like a pack of cards in a five-wicket loss to underdogs Bangladesh in their opening game of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Even though it is easily one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, the whole credit goes to the brilliant Bangladeshi team. The manner in which the Bengal Tigers played their game was far more superior in comparison to the lackluster Indian squad.
Sloppy fielding and toothless bowling did India in as Bangladesh showed exemplary grit and determination in proving their credentials to the world. Chasing a paltry 192-run target (which was considered to be good enough for the minnows), Bangladeshi batsmen displayed confidence and audacity that was clearly lacking in the Indian batting line-up, which is studded with many a world-class cricketers.
World Cup debutant, opener Tamim Iqbal, led the Bangladeshi charge and scored a gritty 51 runs in 53 balls, massacring Indian bowlers on his way to a half-century. He was ably supported by wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim (56) and Saqibul Hasan (53). Playing some awe-inspiring cricket, Bangladesh comfortably reached the desired target in the 49th over, having lost just five wickets.
Earlier in the day, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and decided to bat first on a juicy pitch, a decision considered to be unwise by many a cricket expert. Bangladesh were at their attacking best from the word go. Pacer Mashrafe Mortaza bowled like a man possessed, picking up two early wickets of out-of-form Virender Sehwag and World Cup debutant Robin Uthappa.
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar tried to stabilize the innings, but did not score efficiently until they saw off the pacers. This negative approach caught India on the wrong foot as Bangladeshi spinners turned out to be equally brilliant. They did not let the batsmen settle down, and the only resistance came from Ganguly (66) and Yuvraj Singh (47), who stuck a timely 85-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
For Bangladesh, Mashrafe (4-38) was the pick of bowlers. He came back in the slog overs and crushed the Indian tail with two more wickets. Spinners Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique grabbed three wickets each to send India packing for 191 runs.
This match should be a stern warning to the seemingly over-confident Team India. The Men in Blue need to work out their batting order and do away with sloppiness on the field. And, for Bangladesh, it is the time to rejoice, for they have truly outplayed a strong Indian team in one of their best one-day matches ever.
Brief Score: India 191 (Ganguly 66, Mortaza 4-38) vs. Bangladesh 192/5 (Saqibul 53, Mushfiqur 56*, Tamim 51)
Result: Bangladesh won by five wickets
Man of the Match: Mashrafe Mortaza
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