Rohit Sharma’s brave effort in the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh on Wednesday went in vain as the hosts prevailed by just 5 runs on the last ball of the game.
The match already seemed to have gone out of India’s reach when the visitors had fallen to 189/6 in the 39th over while chasing 272 and the pair of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar was in the middle, trying to put bat on balls that were spinning and gripping on the sticky and low surface.
Four over later, after Thakur’s wicket, India captain Rohit Sharma came out to bat. It – the number 9 – wasn’t Sharma’s usual position, but the right-hander had to be shifted as down as possible because of sustaining a thumb injury that he had suffered while fielding in the second over of Bangladesh’s innings.
In the second over of the match, in an attempt to take a catch at slips, Sharma had injured himself and there was also blood seen on live television. He had gone to the hospital, took a scan, confirmed that it was not a fracture, and returned to join the game.
Ritika Sajdeh posts an emotional Instagram story
With India in trouble and the series on the line, Sharma had to come out to bat. And played perhaps his best innings in the last one-and-half-month. He came into bat when 65 runs were required off 44 balls with the pitch doing all the tricks a Dhaka pitch does.
Sharma started off cautiously, taking just 4 singles off his first 10 balls, trying to recalibrate the way he holds the bat handle and gauging the surface.
But with little time left, he knew he had to take off soon, and he did in spectacular fashion: two trademark pulled sixes to the in-form Ebadot Hossain and ended the over with a cover boundary. Rohit stood helpless when seeing Mustafizur bowl a maiden over to Siraj, the 48th.
Sharma then smoked off-spinner Mahmudullah for two more sixes in the 49th over, bringing the equation down to 20 runs off the last over, but with only one wicket left now.
He had the strike for the 20th over, and played all 6 balls, and took two fours and a six off the first 5 balls. But, with 6 needed off 1 balls, Mustafizur kept his cool to nail a yorker on the last ball as Bangladesh prevailed by 5 runs. Rohit’s superb innings – 51* off 28 balls – unfortunately went in vain, but the India skipper received immense applause for his courage to bat, and bat splendidly while enduring the pain of his thumb injury.
Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika took to her Instagram story to post an emotional post for her husband’s valiant knock:
