Virat Kohli stars again as India narrowly downs Bangladesh in T20
India's Virat Kohli on his way to becoming the highest run scorer in T20 World Cup matches. Photo: AP
Megastar Virat Kohli has hit new heights as India survived a Bangladesh whirlwind and Adelaide rain for a high-stakes five-run win in the T20 World Cup.
The Indians moved top of their group while putting Bangladesh’s semi-final prospects in peril in Wednesday night’s drama-charged Adelaide Oval fixture.
India made 6-184 with Kohli (64no) becoming the highest run scorer in World Cup history and the highest scorer in this tournament – at an average of 220.
Opener Litton Das then blasted 60 from 27 balls in response before his team lost momentum during a 52-minute rain delay that reduced its target to 151 from 16 overs.
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Bangladesh finished on 6-145, with India (six points) moving ahead of South Africa (five points) but the Proteas have a game in hand.
Bandgladesh remains on four points, tossed in the ‘mathematical chance’ basket to advance to the semis.
Das smashed a half-century from just 21 balls and dominated an opening stand with Najmul Shanto: after the six-over powerplay, he’d made 54 of 60 runs.
When rain halted play an over later, Das had cracked three and seven fours and his team was 0-66, some 17 runs ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis par score.
The rain delay left Bangladesh needing another 85 from 54 balls. And, on resumption, drama came instantly.
On ball one after the rain, Das slipped when turning for a second run and sought treatment on his left wrist.
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Next ball, he was run out by a direct-hit rocket throw from KL Rahul when diving to complete a second run.
The dismissal of Das started Bangladeshi’s slide – it lost 6-40 as India seized control.
Earlier, Kohli’s superb 44-ball knock took his overall tally to 1065 runs in 25 World Cup innings, surpassing Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene’s 1016 runs from 31 knocks.
The Indian dynamo has now scored the most runs in this edition – 220 runs and dismissed just once.
Kohli’s latest knock also extended a love affair with Adelaide Oval, where he averages 75.58 with five tons and three half-centuries in Tests, one-dayers and T20s.
Kohli featured in an explosive 67-run stand with KL Rahul, who blasted four sixes in smacking 50 from 32 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav made 30 from 16 deliveries.
India will be hot favourites to defeat Zimbabwe in their last group game, on Sunday.
The South Africans meet Pakistan on Thursday and the Netherlands on Sunday while Bangladesh plays Pakistan on Sunday.
-AAP
