Adelaide, Australia: Virat Kohli became the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history on Wednesday as India beat Bangladesh by five runs in the last over of a rain-hit Twenty20 World Cup match in Adelaide. Went to the ball.
India top Group 2 and can book a place in the semi-finals with a win against Zimbabwe in their final Group 2 match on Sunday after Bangladesh failed to chase down a revised 151 in 16 overs.
Kohli’s unbeaten 64 took India to 184-6, but Bangladesh looked on course for victory after a run of 66-0 in seven overs when rain halted play, resulting in the loss of four overs. were
Opener Laton Das scored 60 off 27 balls but his run-out after the 50-minute interval spelled the end for Bangladesh as they finished on 145-6.
Needing 20 runs off the last over, Nurul Hasan hit a six and a four to give them hope but left-arm pacer Arsdeep Singh held his nerve on the last ball to give India their third win in four matches.
That left Bangladesh all but out of the semi-final picture.
Das gave the team a brilliant start, reaching his fifty in 21 balls, but once he fell to a direct hit from KL Rahul, India roared.
Arsdeep struck twice in an over that included a 13 to skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
Hardik Pandya took two wickets in the 13th over as Bangladesh slumped from 98-2 to 108-6 and despite Hasan’s 14-ball 25, their DLS method fell short of the target.
It was Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 64, and KL Rahul with a stand of 67 with 50 to set up India’s win.
In the process, Kohli surpassed former Sri Lanka captain Mahila Jayawardene’s tally of 1,016 runs to become the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. Jayawardene set his mark with 31 innings but Kohli scored just 23 runs to pass him.
Match Winning Fifties
An in-form Kohli, who has already scored two match-winning half-centuries in this World Cup, brought up his third half-century in 37 balls to enliven the Indian-dominated crowd at the Adelaide Oval.
After Bangladesh elected to field, Tasin Ahmed put India down early with a brilliant opening of sevens and swing bowling.
Rohit Sharma went for two cheaply but Rahul regained his batting touch with boundaries as he counter-attacked.
Rahul, who had scored just 22 runs in the last three matches, hit two sixes and a four in the 24-run ninth over to boost the Indian run-rate.
He reached 50 off Shakib but fell to the left-arm spinner’s next ball after hitting three fours and four sixes.
There was no respite for Bangladesh’s bowlers as Surya Kumar Yadav joined Kohli to continue the attack, before Shakib struck again when he had reached 30 off 16 balls, carelessly bowling the ball. Kept beating in all parts.
Kohli opened the innings and Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed himself in a six-ball cameo for 13 runs that included a six and a four in the last over.
