History made… repeated

India scored just 34 runs between the 36th and 40th and the reason for the unusually slow pace was Tendulkars pre-ton edginess. He moved from 87 to 95 in the period,scored nine runs from eight balls without hitting a boundary. The Hundreds buzz around the stands seemed to be affecting his young partners Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina too. Whether to go for big hits or scamper for singles,was their overwhelming dilemma. Raina too managed just 16 off 17 balls during the third field restriction.

In stark contrast,the hosts used their powerplay much better. In the second over of Bangladeshs batting powerplay,Shakib Al-Hasan belted Ashok Dinda for 18 runs,including a boundary off a free hit as the hosts made 46 runs without losing a wicket.

Bangladesh delivered the knock out punch in the 48th over,bowled by Irfan Pathan,as their captain Mushfiqur Rahim hit 17 runs. This came about when the team needed 33 off 18 balls. In their first game against Pakistan,Shakib had fought a lone battle in the death overs. Today Rahim gave him just company as he hit 46 off 25 balls to turn the table on India.

At the top of the order opener Tamim Iqbal,for the second match in a row,put a price on his wicket. The second-wicket partnership between Iqbal and Jahurul Islam worth 113 set the tone for Bangladeshs chase before the middle-order took charge.

Bangladesh recorded their second highest successful chase in an ODI when Mahmudullah smashed a full toss from Dinda past mid-off. The lack of discipline on the part of the Indian bowlers only played into the hands of a pumped up Bangladesh.

The Indian innings was built around Tendulkars century that was his slowest in ODIs. He started his innings with a four in the third ball he faced off Shafiul Islam,a classy cover drive to a half volley. His next three scoring shots were fours,all through the backward point and cover region. The early part of the innings suggested that Tendulkar was in fine touch.

In his 30s,Tendulkar pulled out a shot he hadnt played in a while. Bangladesh had turned to their strength,left-arm spin. Tendulkar flayed a tossed up delivery from Al-Hasan over long on for a six. He had got his front leg out of the way to dismiss the left-arm spinner over the ropes. But hitting boundaries wasnt an option Tendulkar exercised consistently.

The Bangladesh spinners stuck to bowling a tight line,while the medium-pacers didnt give too much width. He didnt hit a boundary for seven overs from the 20th to the 26th as the field spread out after the bowling powerplay.

He waited for the Bangladesh bowlers to err rather than taking charge. Off-spinner Mahmudullah was pulled to the boundary to ease pressure. But another boundary-less session of play followed. It lasted another seven overs,during which Tendulkar again started accumulating runs with minimal risk. He lost momentum when medium-pacer Mashrafe Mortaza bowled a maiden to him.

Tendulkars knock on Friday was momentous but it was overshadowed by the effort of a plucky group of youngsters who showed little respect for the reputation of the world champs.