Bangladesh stand-in captain Litton Das heaped praise on all-rounder Mehidy Hasan who played a majestic knock to get his team over the line against India in the first ODI at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Sunday.
The match looked done and dusted when Bangladesh found themselves on the ropes at 136-9 while chasing 187. 51 runs were still required and Bangladesh’s only hope was Mehidy Hasan.
The right-hander took an aggressive approach as he farmed the strike and dealt only in fours and sixes. The youngster went on score an unbeaten 38 runs off just 39 balls to pull off an improbable win.
Hasan scored four fours and two sixes in his blistering knock as he played a key role in taking his team home. Mustafizur Rahman also provided support to his teammate at the end as he scored 10 runs from 11 balls. The pair added 51 runs for the last wicket partnership to stun the Indian team.
Litton Das said in the post-match presentation, “Very happy. I was very nervous sitting in the dressing room. I enjoyed Mehidy’s batting in the last 6-7 overs. Siraj and Shardul bowled very well in the middle overs and shifted the momentum toward their side. When me and Shakib were batting we thought we could chase this easily, but it got difficult after we both got out and India bowled really well. Outstanding innings from Mehidy.”
Hasan, on the other hand, was delighted with his individual performance as he played a key role in the team’s win. Hasan also scalped one wicket and conceded 43 runs in the nine overs he bowled.
He said after being presented the Man of the Match award, “I am really happy and excited. I was only thinking about focusing on one area and believing in that strategy and I knew I only needed to bat about 20 balls to get going. I tried to bowl wicket to wicket with the ball. It is a memorable performance for me.”
The second ODI between these two teams will be played at the same venue on Wednesday.
