Host Busters

Sehwags 175,Kohlis 100 helps India beat Bangladesh by 87 runs.

They punched fists while crossing paths during a single for the first milestone,embraced in a warm bear hug for another,before shaking palms more formally for the final one. During the first half of Saturday,the only challenge that posed a real threat to Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli was finding new and innovative ways of congratulating each other. The latter half of the match though,would be a different story.

They celebrated individual and collective landmarks that fell by the dozen for a shade over 24 overs,rejoicing Sehwags 14th ODI century,his first 150 and his highest score of 175. Although Kohli didnt have Sehwag around when he jumped in the air to commemorate his World Cup century on debut,he wasnt really complaining. Kohlis 100 not out his fifth took India to their third highest World Cup total 370/4 in 50 overs.

Kohlis smile though,and the rest of Team Indias,was soon wiped off their smug faces when the stadium threatened to split at its seams thanks to Imrul Kayes. The Bangladeshi opener brought time to a standstill in Dhaka when he walloped S Sreesanth for 24 runs during the fifth over of the chase assisted by some pathetic bowling by the Kerala seamer.

Having smashed Sreesanth for four boundaries off consecutive balls,Kayes and fellow opener Tamim Iqbal the hero of the last World Cup encounter between the two nations made a mockery of the attack,as the team score raced away to 56 runs by the seventh over during the chase.

Munafs day out

But thats when the brilliance of Munaf Patel the bowler of the match was put on neon lit display. Holding back his length by an inch,Munaf cheated Kayes into cutting the ball onto his stumps for 34,and the unavoidable hemorrhage began. Although defeat seemed inevitable for the hosts,Shakib Al Hasans team of young boys rubbished many of Dhonis plans with their heart warming never-say-die spirit. Munaf though,isnt the sentimental kind.

After the part-timers were plastered all over the ground 15 combined overs by Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan cost 91 runs at 6.06,Munaf was reintroduced in the 33rd over to put an end to Iqbals individual resistance. He responded first ball,ending the openers 70-run effort and simultaneously clearing the packed stands by half. Unable to read Munafs length ball off the slower variety,Iqbals strike carried wide of Yuvraj Singh at midwicket who soon occupied the spot with a sharp,low catch.

Despite Shakibs last gasp effort of 55 workman like runs,Bangladesh crashed to a 87-run defeat. Bangladesh though will take immense pride and confidence for their effort,knowing that it could have been a whole lot different had Shakib not called the coin correctly.

Tossing away advantage

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During pressure games like this one,and on a batting wicket,win the toss and bat first is the unwritten rule. Shakib learnt that when Sehwag scored a boundary off the first ball of the 10th World Cup,and 12 runs off the first Shafiul Iqbal over. Left arm spinner Abdur Razzak was introduced as early as the fifth over of the game,reining in the scoring rate to 6 an over by the end of the tenth. Running out his idol Sachin Tendulkar on 28 forced Sehwag to dig his first trench in ODI cricket in 229 matches a move that would eventually see him play his best knock in the format yet.

India were comfortably placed at 152/3 at the 24th over,when Kohli walked into the middle. He and Sehwag though,would push the match out of reach. An out-of-character Sehwag stole singles to bring up his second World Cup hundred off 94 balls. Having restrained himself to a life of patience until then,Sehwag unleashed all hell on the poor Bangladeshis by taking the batting powerplay in the 35th over.

He cracked Shafiuls first ball down the ground for four,and never looked back again,as India scored 48 runs,Sehwag two massive sixes and four boundaries. Kohli got into the act with a flurry of big hits off Mahmudullah to bring up the team 300,a small milestone the pair conveniently forgot to celebrate.