India vs Bangladesh: Three Key Lessons from the final ODI
India won the third and final ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh to ensure they didn’t end the series whitewashed.
Ishan Kishan recorded the fastest double century in ODIs.A historic double century from Ishan Kishan and a landmark century from Virat Kohli helped India to 409-8 in the first innings.
And Bangladesh never recovered from there, as they slumped to 182 in reply. Not that it would have mattered for them too much since the series had been sealed before this game, anyway.
Nevertheless, there were still a few major takeaways from this match despite it, in essence, being a dead rubber. Here are the big talking points from the game.
History-maker Kishan deserves a longer rope
When Ishan Kishan finally got to the magic 200-run mark, he ran and pumped his fists and let out a few roars in celebration. This wasn’t just due to him getting to a historic achievement but also his recent puzzling exclusion from the team.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I cannot put into words what I’m feeling right now but I’ll try. I’m overwhelmed by the love, the messages, the wishes. This is an innings that will stay in my heart forever, a day that I won’t forget, and these moments that I’ll always carry with me. Thank you for everything 🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/xlNzuWxA4w">pic.twitter.com/xlNzuWxA4w</a></p>— Ishan Kishan (@ishankishan51) <a href="https://twitter.com/ishankishan51/status/1601587988555001856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He had been in good form earlier this year before getting phased out of the squad altogether for no apparent reason. Therefore it is easy to understand why he felt the way he did when he finally reached the magic mark.
He also showed that he deserves a longer run in the team, especially given the Indian team needs openers like him. The current top order lacks an aggressive intent early on, and Kishan’s got that in spades.
Kohli remains a force, even in diminished form
It’s no secret that Kohli has had to readjust his game quite a bit after the slump in the form he experienced from 2020 onwards. Yet his T20I resurgence showed that a long shot does not do him. And now that return of form has come in ODI cricket too.
His 72nd international ton means he is behind only the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most international tons. And it also showed, perhaps more importantly, that he could have a place in India’s immediate future.
Granted, he isn’t the same player he was in 2019, but he is still getting more than enough runs under his belt to show that he can stand up and deliver for Team India when push comes to shove.
Familiar concerns remain for India
The win should not paper over some pretty obvious cracks for India in the 50-over format. That they won was down mainly to Kohli’s ton and Kishan’s double ton, but on a different day, some familiar failings could have cost them.
They got a poor start thanks to Shikhar Dhawan getting out early – after playing at a prolonged rate – yes, again. The middle and lower order looked fragile, and another poor performance from KL Rahul would not have helped his or anyone else’s confidence in him.
There’s every reason to celebrate the win, but the number of concerns India have to deal with despite having a plethora of talent is alarming, to say the least.