Despite piling on 279 runs, hosts Bangladesh were beaten in their 2014 Asia Cup opener by six wickets and an over to spare by India. Senior left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak lauded Indian captain Virat Kohli’s effort and also pointed that that dew was a factor while bowling second.
A factor that has been a proven hurdle for oppositions over the past few years is India’s No.3 bat, who scored his 19th ODI century. A master of chases, Kohli scored a sparkling 136 and snatched the game away from the home team. Speaking about the Indian skipper’s effort, Abdur Razzak said, “Definitely Virat Kohli played really well. He did a fantastic job for his team.”
Discussing their bowling, he observed, “I would say our bowlers did not do that badly. Nothing went wrong. Sometimes some special things happen in the middle and you lose. Virat did just that for India. They did well with the singles despite putting five fielders inside the circle.
Obviously, the credit goes to them but we tried our best. Indian batsmen played very well.”
Besides the 213-run partnership between Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, environmental factors were at play as Bangladesh looked to defend the sizeable total. “The biggest problem we faced was the dew. The field was too wet,” he explained while speaking to the media after the match.
While adding that the team has to play in whatever conditions available, he added, “It was difficult to hold the ball after 24 overs. Especially for a team like us, who are reliant on spinners, it was a big worry.”
Earlier in the game, even the Bangladeshi captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, put up a determined effort to set India a competitive target. While he was at the crease, a bigger total seemed possible for the hosts. Rahim scored 117, and was ably supported by Anamul Haque. “The way Mushfiqur and Anamul batted at some point, we thought we would get to 300. I guess something went wrong down the order. It's difficult to specify. Maybe six-seven balls went the other way... Nowadays, it's difficult to recover when you fall short.”
During his sparkling innings, a Varun Aaron beamer struck the Bangladesh skipper. Asked about Rahim’s injury status, Razzak said, “He was probably hit on shoulders. He has gone for a checkup to Dhaka Hospital. We are yet to get the doctor's report. We don't have any news of him yet. We will get to know later.”
Speaking about the unfortunate incident, the Bangladesh bowler added, “Nobody would do that deliberately to injure somebody.”
