London: A clinical display from India and they have stormed into the finals. The Bangla Tigers were left clueless today and crumbled under pressure. The defending champions are looking ominous now and it sets up for a thrilling clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
The Men in Green have held their own to make it to to the all-important finale of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy as well. Both the Asian sides will lock horns at the Oval in London on 18th June and the action will begin at 1030 local (0930 GMT). Do join us for that. Till then, goodbye and cheers!
Bangladesh skipper, Mashrafe Mortaza says that they were good in the middle period with the bat and reckons 300-320 would have been an ideal score. Feels that the period when they lost both the set batsmen (Tamim and Rahim) was a setback. Admits they have a few inexperienced players and some experienced ones. Mentions they will come stronger next time. Opines that they are fine skill-wise but need to become strong mentally.
India skipper, Virat Kohli says that it was another complete game.
Mentions they needed a collective performance and got that. Adds that both guys at the top took them off to a great start and that gave him time to settle in. Declares that Kedar Jadhav is not a surprise package.
Adds that he is a smart guy and knows what the pitch has on offer. States that he felt really good in the middle. Adds that he likes to adapt to different situations. Feels that he grew in confidence as he went past 30-40. Opines that Sharma was brilliant at the top of the order and so was Dhawan. Announces that they are going to approach the finals in the same way as any other game.
Reckons that whichever team gets less excited has a better chance to win the finals. Opines that they are not worried about the lack of exposure to middle order and believes that it is a worry if the middle order bats too much. Says that whatever chances MS Dhoni, Yuvraj and Pandya have got, they have played well. Thanks the Birmingham crowd for coming out in huge numbers and supporting them.
Man of the Match, Rohit Sharma says it was a good knock and he is thrilled that it has come in a winning cause. Admits he was trying to get a big one in the last couple of games and was determined today. Feels the wicket played brilliantly and he was concentrating on not making any mistake. Reckons the game versus Pakistan is going to be big and very important. Credits his team for bowling well and says they have all the bases covered. Appreciates Virat Kohli's captaincy and his batting. He finishes off by saying just one hurdle left and hopes everything will be good.
The Bangla Tigers tried hard but they need to accept that they were defeated by a much stronger side. Nothing much to speak about their bowling apart from the Bangladesh skipper, Mashrafe Mortaza. He took a wicket and was the most economical as well but his teammates were found wanting in front of the famed Indian batting line-up.
Rohit Sharma was in the zone today and produced some breathtaking strokeplay. He scored an unbeaten ton to take his side over the finish line. The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli was flawless as well at the other end and showed why he is one of the best batsmen in the world. He became the quickest player to cross the 8000-run mark in ODIs and that speaks for itself.
An enthralling batting display from India and they couldn't have won more convincingly to reach the finals of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. The intent was evident in both the openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma who looked in good touch right from the beginning. They kept punishing the loose balls and didn't let the Bangladeshi bowlers settle down. The southpaw missed out on a fifty but he became the leading run-scorer in this year's tournament.
