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.
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) beginning here on December 12, will open with the film “Palestine 36,” directed by Annemarie Jacir.
The film is an epic historical drama which portrays the Palestinian uprising against the British colonisation.
The opening film takes its name from the year when Palestine began to revolt against British rule and Zionism, a release from the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organisers of the event, said on Sunday.
The IFFK, which enters its 30th edition, will be held at the state capital here from December 12 to 19.
The inaugural film was awarded the best film at the Tokyo International Film Festival and was Palestine's official entry for the best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Another film by Jacir, ‘Wajib’ for which she won the IFFK's Golden Crow Pheasant in 2017 will also be screened as part of the package of films which won Suvarna Chakoram in the early editions of the IFFK.
The Chalachitra Academy also announced that the Lifetime Achievement Award of the 30th IFFK will be conferred on renowned Malian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, in recognition of his profound contribution to world cinema.
Born in Kiffa, Mauritania, Sissako’s family moved to Mali, where he spent his childhood. He made his first short film Le Jeu (The Game) in 1989 as his graduation project.
His full-length feature film debut, Life on Earth (La Vie Sur Terre), released in 1999, was featured in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival that year, and the definitive breakout hit was the 2014 film "Timbuktu."
Sissako's films are primarily focused on globalisation, displacement, exile, identity, and the struggles of everyday life in Africa, which helped bring African cinema into the global spotlight.
Sissako’s five films will be screened this year at IFFK. Life on Earth (1999), Waiting for Happiness (2002), Bamako (2006), Timbuktu (2014), and Black Tea (2004) are the movies to be screened at the festival.
The IFFK’s lifetime achievement award, introduced in 2009, is presented to a filmmaker who made significant contributions to the art of cinema during their career.
Earlier recipients of the award include Jean-Luc-Godard, Werner Herzog, Fernando Solanas, Alexander Sokurov, Jiri Menzel, Majid Majidi and Bela Tarr.
