Rohit Sharma rides his luck on his way to brilliant 83 as India beat Bangladesh in Asia Cup opener
Rohit makes Bangladesh pay for let-off
A costly dropped catch has helped India cruise to victory over Bangladesh in the opening match of the Asia Cup in Mirpur.
The visitors posted 6-166 from their 20 overs having been sent in to bat, a target that proved too much for Bangladesh, who fell 45 runs short.
India's total was bolstered by a 55-ball innings of 83 from opener Rohit Sharma, but things could have been very different if not for a match-changing dropped chance from Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan midway through the 11th over.
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With India struggling at 3-52 on a green surface, Rohit hammered a Taskin Ahmed delivery straight to Shakib at point, who put the catch down.
Rohit, who had laboured in making 21 from 28 balls to that point, promptly struck two fours and a six from the next three deliveries - ironically all past Shakib in the point region - and he never looked back.
The right-hander hammered 62 runs from just 27 balls following the left-off, at an incredible strike-rate of 229.62, and finished with 50 per cent of his team's total, which is the fourth-highest contribution by an Indian in T20s.
The 28-year-old hit three sixes and seven fours in his knock while rookie Hardik Pandya continued his impressive start to his international career, adding 31 from 18 deliveries batting at No.6.
India's five-man bowling attack then strangled Bangladesh's batting line-up in the run chase, with Ashish Nehra the pick of the bowlers with 3-23 from his four overs. The Indians sent down a total of 58 dot balls, with Sabbir Rahman (44 from 32 balls) the only Tigers batsman to make an impact.
The five-nation Asia Cup, which also features Sri Lanka, Pakistan and qualifier UAE and culminates in the final on March 6, acts as a perfect preparation for the ICC World T20 starting next month.