Bangladesh registered a historic victory over India in the first ODI of the three-match series, winning by 40 runs. India’s batting unit put up a poor display, leading to their first-ever loss against Bangladesh in ODIs in what will be counted as an embarrassing show for Harmanpreet Kaur and Co.
Chasing a target of 154 runs (DLS), India got off to a shaky start as they lost early wickets. Smriti Mandhana showed some promise with a couple of boundaries but was dismissed by Marufa Akter for 11 runs. Priya Punia, Yastika Bhatia and captain Harmanpreet failed to make a significant contribution, leaving India struggling at 44/4 in the 13th over.
Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur tried to stabilize the innings and took India to the drinks break without losing any more wickets. However, the rain interrupted the match, and when play resumed, India needed 106 runs from 25 overs with six wickets in hand.
After the rain delay, India continued to struggle to score runs as the required run rate kept increasing. As was the case in the T20I series, the Indian batters got stuck in the ground and never really focused on strike-rotation. The wickets fell at regular intervals, and the Bangladesh bowlers maintained a tight grip on the game. India’s batting crumbled under pressure, and they were eventually bowled out for just 113 runs in 35.5 overs.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat. They got off to a slow start, with the Indian bowlers bowling tight lines and lengths. Sultana Khatun played a crucial innings of 39 runs to anchor the Bangladesh innings. However, wickets kept falling at the other end, and Bangladesh could only manage to reach 152 runs before being bowled out in 43 overs.
“We didn’t take responsibility and bat well. In bowling also, we were not up to the mark. Sometimes some bowlers bowl very well, overall we are not batting up to the mark and not bowling according to our strengths. We have done well in ODI cricket and we have to back ourselves,” Indian skipper Harmanpreet said in the post-match presentation.
India’s bowlers put up a commendable performance, with Sneh Rana and Amanjot Kaur impressing with their bowling. Amanjot, in particular, was impressive with the ball as becomes the first Indian to take 4 or more wickets on Women’s ODI debut outside India.
However, the batting unit failed to chase down the target, resulting in a historic victory for Bangladesh.
“I think we were 30-40 runs short. The lower order batters gave us some score. All credit to the bowlers, they assessed the wicket well. Wonderful effort from the crowd, they boosted up the team. The thing was that we wanted to get early wickets. Our plan and execution worked for us. I am very much happy that I have every strength in the team,” Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana said in the post-match presentation.
The win gives Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The teams will now look forward to the next match to be played on the same venue on Wednesday, hoping to make a comeback or seal the series, respectively.