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India has significantly bolstered their semi-final hopes with a 50-run victory over Bangladesh on Saturday. Previously, India had started their Super-8 campaign with a 47-run win against Afghanistan. Batting first, India posted 196 runs for five wickets in their 20 overs. In reply, Bangladesh could only muster 146 runs for eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Group-1 Standings:
The match, held at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, saw India take the top spot in the Group-1 points table with two wins from two matches, accumulating four points and a net run rate of +2.425. Their next match is against Australia on Monday, where a win would secure India a semi-final spot. Currently, Australia is second with two points and needs a big win against Afghanistan on Sunday to reclaim the top spot. Afghanistan and Bangladesh, with no points yet, occupy the third and fourth spots respectively after their losses.
Bangladesh's Batting Collapse:
Chasing 197, Bangladesh started well with Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan putting on 35 runs for the first wicket. Litton was dismissed for 13 runs off 10 balls, while Tanzid was trapped LBW by Kuldeep Yadav at 66 for 29 runs. Except for captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 40 runs off 32 balls with one four and three sixes before being dismissed by Bumrah, no other Bangladeshi batsman made a significant contribution. Tawhid scored 4, Shakib Al Hasan 11, Mahmudullah 13, Zakir Ali 1, Rishad Hossain 24, while Mehidy Hasan and Tanzim were not out on 5 and 1 respectively. For India, Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah took two each, and Hardik Pandya took one wicket.
India's Third Highest T20 World Cup Total:
Bangladesh won the toss and invited India to bat first. India posted their highest total of this World Cup and their third-highest in T20 World Cup history with 196 runs for five wickets. This is also the highest T20 score at the North Sound Stadium. India started well, but captain Rohit Sharma couldn't extend the partnership and was dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan, who became the first bowler to take 50 wickets in T20 World Cups. Virat Kohli, struggling with form, scored 36 runs off 24 balls, the second-highest for India after Hardik Pandya. Shivam Dube supported Pandya well, scoring 34 runs off 24 balls. At one point, it seemed India would cross the 200-run mark, but Bangladesh bowlers made a partial comeback.
India's Performance:
Kuldeep Yadav's three wickets and Hardik Pandya's all-round performance were crucial in India's victory. With this win, India has strengthened their chances of reaching the semi-finals, needing a win against Australia in their next match to confirm their spot.
