Bangladesh suffered another heavy defeat on Saturday in Antigua, losing by 50 runs to India in their latest T20 World Cup encounter, marking their fifth consecutive loss against India in the T20 World Cups.
India secured victory through a collective batting effort, posting a near-200-run total despite no individual fifties from their top five batters. The sole half-century came from Hardik Pandya, who batted lower in the order.
It was only the second time when India posted such a big total and none of their top-five batters have scored even a fifty.
Bangladesh, opting to bowl first after winning the toss, deployed a spin-heavy attack that proved ineffective as Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli capitalized on early risks.
Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Rohit early, but India's scoring rate remained high. Tanzim Hasan Sakib claimed two wickets in the ninth over, dismissing Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, but India's momentum persisted. Rishabh Pant, contributing 36 runs, was eventually dismissed by Rishad Hossain.
Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya propelled India further, with Dube scoring 34 and Pandya reaching a fifty. India's innings featured their own record-breaking 13 sixes in a T20 World Cup match.
Bangladesh's key bowlers, Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman, both conceded over 12 runs per over for a single wicket together. Mustafizur, despite his IPL experience with Indian batters, failed to replicate his economical bowling from the group stage.
Tanzim and Rishad showed promise but lacked support from their teammates. While they secured wickets, they couldn't capitalize on the momentum.
In response, Bangladesh's batting faltered. Tanzid Hasan Tamim's 29 runs off 31 balls and Najmul Hossain Shanto's 40 runs failed to make a significant impact. Both are suffering from off-forms. This time they managed to get some runs on the board, but that did little help to struggling Bangladesh.
The middle order, including Towhid Hridoy, Shakib, and Mahmudullah Riyad, offered little resistance to Indian bowlers.
Kuldeep Yadav excelled for India, claiming three wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah's disciplined bowling yielded 15 dot balls. Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh also contributed with 11 and 12 dot balls, respectively.
Kuldeep's impressive performance mirrored Rishad's for Bangladesh, proving more difficult to score off. While Rishad conceded over 14 runs per over, Kuldeep gave away just 19 in four overs.
Ultimately, India's all-round batting display and quality bowling secured a comfortable win against an opponent they have consistently dominated. This victory places India on the verge of securing a semi-final spot in the World Cup.