When it comes to playing match winning knocks in crunch moments for Bangladesh; Mushfiqur Rahim often emerges as the game changer. He always comes up with the goods when Bangladesh needs him the most. On Sunday, when a troubled Bangladesh, plagued with off-field issues, confronted India, not even the most optimistic fan dared to imagine a win against the mighty Indians. But they did just that through the heroics of none other than Mushfiq.
The pocket dynamo played a scintillating unbeaten knock of 60 from 43 balls to anchor Bangladesh’s chase of 149 as the tourists achieved their target with three balls to spare. They won by seven wickets and are now leading the three-match series by 1-0. History was made as this was Bangladesh’s first win against India in T20I’s, after suffering 8 consecutive defeats.
Mushfiqur’s late charge against Khaleel Ahmed completely changed the game in Delhi, so much so that in the end, the result was almost a formality. This win surely will be a massive boost to a team that has been reeling after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC last week, not to mention the tensions created by the players’ strike against the BCB.
Mushfiq might have rode his luck during his 60-run knock but the calmness and the composure he showed throughout the chase was absolutely outstanding. The tourists were in trouble at 54-2 when Soumya Sarkar, who made 39, and Mushfiqur put on a crucial 60-run stand for the third wicket.
Soumya was then bowled by paceman Khaleel Ahmed but Mushfiqur survived a dropped chance at 38 to hit four consecutive boundaries off Ahmed to put Bangladesh ahead, those were the turning points of the match.
In the nail-biting 19th over, Mushfiqur employed the pull shot, a scoop, and two scythes through point to reduce Bangladesh’s chase from 20 off ten balls to a mere four from the last over. Khaleel was the bowler who bore the brunt of Mushfiqur’s cold-blooded calculated hits, which came quite late despite him being well set up until that moment. In the end, it was a masterstroke to hold back his shots as Bangladesh savoured their big moment. Skipper Mahmudullah Riyad who joined Mushfiqur at the crease, brought up the win with a six with 1 needed of 4 balls.
Personally, for Mushfiq it was also a match of redemption, as three years ago in Bengaluru, he gave his wicket away against India in almost a similar situation and Tigers suffered a heart-rendering loss in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Mushfiq certainly learned from that debacle and gave Bangladesh a historic win against India, which he and millions of Tiger cricket fans will remember for lifetime.
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