India 409 for 8 (Kishan 210, Kohli 113, Shakib 2-68) beat Bangladesh 182 (Shakib 43, Thakur 3-30, Axar 2-22) by 227 runs
Ishan Kishan ripped up the ODI record books and Bangladesh’s attack with the fastest double-hundred, off 126 balls, to deny the hosts a 3-0 whitewash in Chattogram. Chris Gayle had held the previous record, having reeled off a 138-ball double-century in the 2015 World Cup against Zimbabwe in Canberra. At various points, Kishan looked good to surpass Rohit Sharma’s 264 – the highest score in ODI cricket – but Litton Das plucked a catch out of thin air in the 36th over to limit Kishan to 210 off a mere 131 balls.
Kishan dominated a 290-run second-wicket stand with Virat Kohli, who shrugged off a shaky start to notch up an 85-ball century – his first in ODI cricket since August 2019. Kohli holed out for 113, but cameos from Washington Sundar (37 off 27) and Axar Patel (20 off 17) propelled India past 400. It was the first time since October 2015 that a team other than England had run up a 400-plus score in men’s ODIs.
In response, Bangladesh folded for 182 in 34 overs, just about avoiding the ignominy of their biggest defeat (via runs) in ODI cricket. In all, they could manage only 20 boundaries. Kishan alone had hit 24 fours and sent ten sixes flying over the boundary in a knock that dripped with sustained intent, a departure from India’s recent safety-first approach.
Kishan might not have even played this game had India’s regular captain Rohit been fit. The replacement opener seized his opportunity and unfurled his full range, which starkly contrasted with Shikhar Dhawan’s struggles this series. Dhawan was dismissed for 3 off 8 balls – his third successive single-digit score – with Mehidy Hasan Miraz pinning him lbw with his first ball after a successful review.
Mehidy got the new-ish ball to turn and hold in the pitch. He could’ve cut Kohli’s innings short at 1 in his next over had Litton not dropped a sitter at short midwicket. Kishan then teed off, allowing Kohli enough time to adjust to the pace and (variable) bounce of the Chattogram pitch.
Kishan jumped onto any hint of width outside off and went 4,6,4 against Ebadot Hossain in the 12th over. It should’ve been a portent, but Bangladesh didn’t read the signs. They kept offering Kishan width and kept copping severe punishment. And when they erred too straight and short, Kishan powerfully pulled them over the leg side. He also regularly flitted around the crease to manufacture boundaries on both sides of the pitch with ridiculous ease.
Kishan reached his maiden ODI ton off 85 balls and needed just 18 more balls to zoom past 150. Around this point, him getting that record double-century seemed inevitable – so much that Kohli even celebrated pre-maturely, thinking the ball had travelled to the boundary after Kishan had tapped a single to deep cover in the 35th over. Four balls later, Kishan became the fourth Indian player – after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit – to post an ODI double-hundred.
With still 15 overs left in India’s innings, Rohit’s 264 – and possibly 300 – wasn’t beyond Kishan’s reach. Litton, however, completed a smart catch running around from long-off, off Taskin Ahmed, to stop Kishan in his tracks.
Kohli sent Kishan off with pats on his head and took over from him in the middle. After getting to his fifty off 54 balls, he hit over the top with greater freedom. When Taskin dug a short ball outside off, Kohli could have opted to pull him over midwicket. Instead, he held his shape and swatted him over mid-off. Then, when Taskin went fuller and outside off in his next over, Kohli reached out and slapped him over the same mid-off region. He eventually broke his ODI century drought and celebrated the landmark by launching a Mustafizur Rahman offcutter over his head for six.
Shakib Al Hasan then provided Bangladesh some respite with the late wickets of Kohli and Washington, followed by 43 off 50 balls with the bat. He was the only Bangladesh batter to have got a measure of the pitch and even fronted up to rapid short balls from tearaway Umar Malik. Litton pitched in with 29 off 26 balls at the top, but Kishan’s opening salvo had put Bangladesh so far behind that they were never in the chase.
Kuldeep Yadav, who had been added to the injury-hit squad on the eve of the game, put in a good shift, though he had only one wicket to his name. It was Axar, the other left-arm spinner, who had triggered a batting collapse with the wickets of Anamul Haque Bijoy and Mushfiqur Rahim. Not even Mehidy could save Bangladesh on the day.
