Asia Cup 2023: Stumble before the last step | Cricket News

The conditions at the R Premadasa Stadium were tailor-made to test India. With no rain in sight, and playing on an already used pitch, skipper Rohit Sharma wanted to see how his batting line-up came up against a spin-heavy Bangladesh team when chasing in the inconsequential Super 4 fixture.
In the end India lost six runs, chasing 266. It was a classic glass half full, half empty scenario. The biggest positive was the rise and rise of Shubman Gill, who stroked a sumptuous century; Axar Patel showed his later-order batting prowess; Shardul Thakur was among the wickets. But as much as spin, medium pace too troubled them.
In fact, barring the impeccable Shakib, they did manage to milk the rest of the quartet. All of them bled five or more runs an over. But Tanzim Hasan Sakib, making his debut, and Mustafizur Rahman too tormented them, the former with a two-wicket burst at the top, and the latter typically at the death, sharing five wickets in the process. Rahman brought skills expected of him, cutters, anglers, slower balls, yorkers, though more than ever before he hit the high 130 kph later in the innings.
It was the debutant Sakib that impressed the most. His lack of pure pace turned out to be a virtue as batsmen, even the majestic Gill, struggled to time him. Only the experienced Mohammed Shami was stingier than he was (4.08). Even though India were without talisman Virat Kohli, the win could lift Bangladesh’s morale before the World Cup.
But how Bangladesh managed to pile 265 is a cause for concern. When Thakur and Shami reduced Bangladesh to 59/4 in 14 overs, it looked as if this would be another stroll in the park for India. But Bangladesh recovered through their skipper Shakib Al Hasan (80) and Towhid Hridoy (54) before Nasum Ahmed provided finishing touches with 44 as they set 266 for India to chase on a pitch that was only going to get slower and slower under lights.
Among India’s positives was the rise and rise of Shubman Gill, who stroked a sumptuous century. (AP/PTI)
From the moment India lost Rohit and Varma inside the first three overs, their challenge only got bigger and bigger. Ravaged injuries, Bangladesh have not had a tournament where they can take home something to cheer ahead of the World Cup. But this is the format, where they are more at home, especially in the sub-continental conditions. Despite developing a core of fast bowlers who are now beginning to make a mark, Bangladesh’s biggest asset is their army of spinners. Unlike other teams, they don’t have a wr spinner in their ranks, and instead put their faith on finger spinners (right and left-arm) who can provide them control at all times and can also double up as their strike bowlers.
On a clay soil pitch, that would have reminded them of the conditions in Mirpur, Shakib brought in the left-arm spin of Nasum Ahmed as early as sixth over with Gill and KL Rahul in the middle. For a team that has been counter-attacking their way out of trouble in the tournament, India had to look at other options to come out of trouble.
For all the batting riches they possess, the current crop of Indian batsmen are not too proficient against spinners on turning tracks. Friday was another example of it—as it was against Australia at Chepauk sometime ago and against Bangladesh at their home.Most Read
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When the ball grips and turns, they tend to struggle. When the ball holds off the surface, they can end up looking ordinary, where they are early through their shot or end up throwing away their wicket in search of big hits or playing across the line. All of it was at the forefront here, especially in the dismissals of Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar. The only exception was Gill. Thanks to his minimum footwork and trigger movement, he quickly adjusted to the pace of the surface.
Gill’s manual
It is not as if Gill’s innings was fool-proof. Like others he too was beaten for pace. But where he got away compared to the rest was, barring for one occasion, he seldom played against the turn when the spinners operated. Whenever the spinners gave a bit of flight, he would jump at the opportunity, but he hardly committed to a shot early. The one time he did, Gill just hit Shakib through the line. It was nothing but a check shot, and for a moment it kept the long-off fielder interested, however the timing carried it beyond the ropes.

The timing was a hallmark of Gill’s fifth ODI century, where he used his minimal footwork to good effect to go back and forth. Despite losing wickets around him, Gill kept India in the game, and whenever the asking rate appeared to mount, he managed to find the boundaries and sixes. Five of his eight fours came through covers and point on a slow pitch can only be further vindication of his special talent. He carried them till the 44th over before holding out in the deep. From thereon Axar fought a lone battle, but it was little too late as Bangladesh eventually prevailed.