There were two brief spells when Bangladesh threatened to grab the game away by the scruff of the neck. First, when Litton Das batted like a dream, sending anything that came in his arc to the stands in the Powerplay. Second, when Nurul Islam and Taskin Ahmed revived a game that seemed to have fallen out of their grasp.

India, however, survived both phases and emerged triumphant to ascend to the top of the points table. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were the stars of the game, as their half-centuries help India post a daunting target.

Litton smashed three sixes and seven fours to put his team on top. was sent back to the pavilion by a slingshot throw from KL Rahul, who himself had a fine and content night after a string of low scores. With the target readjusted to 151 in 16 overs, Bangladesh still had a chance, but their batters threw it away by getting out cheaply.

With 31 needed of the last two overs, Taskin smashed a six and a four against Hardik Pandya. Arshdeep Singh conceded two boundaries that reduced the equation to seven needed off the final ball. Nurul Hasan, however, couldn’t clear the fence, and Bangladesh lost by five runs.

It wasn’t the most fluent of starts from Rahul, he looked hesitant to free up his arms, managing just a single in his first five balls, and it looked like he is yet again digging a big hole for himself and the team. But everything about him changed once he got his first six, a mighty hit over the deep square leg against a good length delivery of Shoriful Islam.

He played a dashing cut over cover, then lifted one over long-on, and then smacked two successive sixes against Shoriful Islam. India would go on over the next ten overs without their batter hitting another six.

Rahul got out immediately after he reached his half-century. Virat then took the leading role, and he found a helping hand from both Suryakumar Yadav and R Ashwin. Kohli became the leading run-getter in T20 World Cup history when he reached 16 runs.

Suryakumar Yadav gave a much-needed acceleration in the middle overs with his short but brisk innings. Ashwin managed to hit a six and four in the final over to propel India’s total to 184/6.

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