India beat Bangladesh by 28 runs, book place in semifinal
Birmingham, Jul 2: Rohit Sharma's dream run with the bat and Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance at the death helped India to beat Bangladesh by 28 runs to clinch a semi-final berth in the ongoing ICC World Cup here Tuesday.
It was Rohit's (104 off 92 balls) record-equalling fourth century in a single edition and his 180-run opening stand with K L Rahul (77 off 92 balls) that laid the foundation for a par-score of 314 for nine after India opted to bat.
The chase wasn't impossible but Shakib Al Hasan (66 off 74 balls) didn't get any notable support from the other end as Bangladesh were bundled out for 286 in 48 overs.
But Mohammed Shaifuddin's 51 not out off 39 balls did raise slim hopes of a victory before Bumrah (4/55), with his toe-crushers, dashed Bangladesh's optimism.
Hardik Pandya (3/60 in 10 overs) also showed that his worth in limited overs with his display with the ball.
India with 13 points from eight games will now hope to beat Sri Lanka in their final game and finish on top with 15 points, in case Australia (14 from 8 games) lose their last league match against South Africa.
Bangladesh can go up to maximum nine points if they beat Pakistan but their last four hopes were dashed as Australia, India, New Zealand (11 from 8 games) and England (10 points from 8) are already above them.
Ironically, on a day when Rohit's record 26th ODI hundred ensured a seventh semi-final appearance for his side, Bangladesh were left high and dry despite Shakib's coveted record double of 500 plus runs and 10 plus wickets in a single edition of the World Cup.
For Indian bowlers, it was another good day in office after English nightmare as Yuzvendra Chahal (1/50 off 10 overs) found his mojo back with a controlled effort while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/51 in 9 overs) also bowled a steady first spell in the company of ever-reliable Bumrah.
Shakib also couldn't play in his free-flowing manner as there wasn't a single half-century stand for the first five wickets.
Sabbir Rahaman (36) and Saifuddin added 66 for the seventh wicket but Bumrah, coming on for his third spell, ended their hopes.
Earlier, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's (35 off 33 balls) another failure at the death saw India score only 63 runs in the last 10 overs after Rohit's 26th ODI century and Rishabh Pant's (48 off 40 balls) flamboyance had taken India to 251 for 4 in 40 overs.
Rohit's love affair with Bangladesh continued as he had also scored his first World Cup ton in the previous edition in Australia and another century in the 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final at this very Edgbaston ground against the same opposition.
There were no marks for guessing that Virat Kohli would have opted to bat and Rohit along with Rahul added 180 for the opening wicket to set up the platform.
En route his ton, that had seven fours and five sixes, Rohit also equalled Kumar Sangakkara's record of four tons in a single edition of the World Cup, having already registered scores of 122 not out (vs South Africa), 140 (vs Pakistan) and 102 (vs England) in earlier games.
Mashrafe Mortaza started the proceedings but pulled himself out after solitary over as Rohit hit first of his five sixes -- a pull-shot on the shorter side.
Rohit enjoyed a reprieve on a personal score of nine when Tamim Iqbal, at deep mid-wicket, dropped a sitter off Mustafizur Rahman (5/59 in 10 overs).
However, the two sixes that will stay in his memory for a long time was a cover driven six over extra cover off Saifuddin and a straight six off Mustafizur. He also pulled off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain and Shakib for two more sixes.
Skipper Kohli (26, 27 balls), after five successive half-centuries, missed out on one more big score while Pant looked good playing some audacious shots.
Even as Pandya missed out after being deceived by an off-cutter from Mustafizur after he had accounted for Kohli, Pant took it upon himself, hitting Saifuddin for three successive boundaries in the 40th over.
Dhoni looked ill at ease against Mustafizur's brilliant variations and Shakib's (1/41 in 10 overs) accuracy. The former India skipper refused two singles in the final over and was out off the third delivery as India lost momentum towards end of the innings.
Just when it looked that Pant will launch a brutal final assault, his mistimed slog sweep went straight to Mosaddek at deep backward square, who somehow managed to hold on to the catch after an initial fumble.
However the total proved good enough for a smooth passage into the final four phase.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
EC role, Hindu vote consolidation among factors for BJP win in Bengal polls: J-K CM Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday attributed the BJP's West Bengal win to a "significant role" played by the Election Commission (EC), alongside a consolidation of Hindu votes and a fractured minority mandate.
Abdullah also said the INDIA bloc needs to define its role in the political landscape of the country and make it clear whether the opposition alliance was limited to the parliamentary elections or extended to the state elections as well.
Talking to PTI Videos, Abdullah hinted that the EC has compromised its neutrality by conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal and linked it to the BJP's gains in the state, claiming large-scale deletion of legitimate voters.
On the performance of the BJP in the just concluded assembly elections, Abdullah said the saffron party has almost nothing to show in southern states.
"So then you look at West Bengal and Assam. Yes, the BJP improved its tally in Assam. There are various reasons for that. You know as well as I do, what those are. West Bengal, I think we need to look at the results very carefully," he said.
"The easiest explanation for the West Bengal result is the serious curtailing of voter list," Abdullah said.
"Voters found their names deleted. People who served in uniform and fought for this country on the borders, who were considered Indian citizens all their lives, were suddenly held to a higher standard and not allowed to vote. Something is not right," he said.
While alleging that the EC played a "significant part" in the results, the chief minister admitted the outcome was multifaceted and noted a consolidation of over 60 per cent of the Hindu vote towards the BJP and a "significant fracture" in the minority vote, particularly in seats where Muslims constitute over 50 per cent of the population.
"There is no doubt that the role of the Election Commission played a significant part in the results but we will also have to look at the other factors," he said.
He said the results of West Bengal cannot be compared to those in other states. "The situation was unique to West Bengal. The SIR that was done, the way in which the voter lists were changed, the sort of minute scrutiny that the Election Commission subjected West Bengal to, the role of the central investigative agencies.
"All of these are situations that at least in recent electoral history of India are unique to West Bengal. So to suggest that we can learn lessons from West Bengal and implement them in other parts of the country, I think would not be correct," he said.
Abdullah had recently said that if the West Bengal results throw a surprise, the role of EC will come under scrutiny.
However, during Tuesday's interview, the chief minister said he still maintains that electronic voting machines (EVMs) do not lead to vote theft.
"What we saw in West Bengal...I know there are a lot of people who believe that the EVMs themselves are flawed. I am not a proponent of that conspiracy theory.
"But I do believe that the Election Commission has done itself no favours in the way in which it has gone about both the process of delimitation and the process of finalisation of electoral rolls," he said and cited the example of delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir or Assam.
"These are clear examples of how the process was done to benefit one party or in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, one party and its allies. And the results speak for themselves. You created seven new seats in Jammu and Kashmir and out of those six seats were won by the BJP. You redrew assembly constituencies to benefit one particular party or its allies. And the same is true for West Bengal as well," he said.
Referring to the INIDA bloc, he said the election results were no new message for the alliance.
"We need to decide what the INDIA bloc is for. Is it only for Parliament or for state elections as well?" he asked.
"What happened in West Bengal is unfortunate. The Congress and TMC fought against each other. Now the Congress agrees with Mamata Banerjee that 100 seats were stolen, but the fact is they fought each other," he said.
Despite the friction, Abdullah reaffirmed the "pre-eminent position" of the Congress within the opposition alliance, dismissing the idea of any other party assuming the mantle.
"The Congress is the only party other than the BJP with a pan-India presence. All of us acknowledge this," he stated.
"To suggest someone else can assume a leadership role would be incorrect. Kharge Sahib is the president of the Congress, and by virtue of that, he assumes leadership of the INDIA bloc meetings. That is the way it should be," the chief minister said.
Abdullah said any 'Common Minimum Programme' would depend on whether the opposition alliance decides to fight state assembly elections collectively, noting that he would share his specific views with the bloc internally rather than through the media.
