India posted a mammoth score of 409 runs, propelled by Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli’s superb knocks at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram in the final ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh.
Kishan and Virat piled on the misery for the Bangladeshi bowlers as they amassed runs at will to share a massive 290-run partnership for the second wicket while reaching individual milestones in the process. The duo helped India breach the 400-run mark for the sixth time in ODI cricket. The left-hander smashed the fastest double-hundred in ODIs, becoming the fourth Indian to achieve the landmark. He joined the elite club of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma who have scored double-hundreds in ODI cricket.
Virat etched out his 72nd century in international cricket to surpass Ricky Ponting’s record of 71 international centuries. This was the right-hander’s 44th ODI century which came after a gap of three years in the 50-over format.
India opened with Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan after India captain Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the third ODI. He had injured his left thumb in the previous match while fielding in the slip cordon.
Dhawan failed again to put in a dominating performance in the series as the batter was dismissed by Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the fifth over.
It seemed like India’s batting will once again falter as has been the case in the series but the duo of Virat and Kishan forged a partnership for the ages to scare the Bangladeshi bowlers, plundering them for runs all over the park.
The batting pair put on a run-fest for the Indian fans who had been deprived of a scintillating performance throughout the series.
Kishan took apart the bowlers as he went hell for leather from ball one, making the most of a beautiful batting pitch on offer. The batter reached his maiden hundred in 85 balls and then went into a frenzy to clinch his double hundred in 126 balls. He smashed 24 fours and 10 sixes en route to his historic three-figure mark.
The left-hander had 210 runs at the time Taskin Ahmed got him out, tying Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman for the fifth-highest score in men’s ODI cricket, 54 runs behind Rohit’s record of 264.
Virat reached his much-awaited 44th ODI hundred in 85 balls and went on to score 113 runs before getting dismissed in the 42nd over caught by Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
India were 346/5 at the end of the 42nd over and looked set to reach a massive score but the team lost quick wickets in the urge to go ballistic in the death overs and could only score 70 runs in the last 10 overs to reach 409/8.
Shakib Al Hasan was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh as he scalped two wickets giving away just 68 runs.
Brief Score: India 409/8 (Ishan Kishan 210, Virat Kohli 113; Shakib Al Hasan 2-68) vs Bangladesh. (ANI)
