Sharma hits 4th ton as India sets Bangladesh 315 to win
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — India finished on 314-9 at Edgbaston to set Bangladesh a tough run chase which could have been a lot worse for the Tigers as they seek to stay in the Cricket World Cup on Tuesday.
After Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul shared the highest opening stand for this tournament of 180, Bangladesh struck back to reduce India to 237-4 when seamer Mustafizur Rahman’s double wicket maiden claimed Virat Kohil on 26 and Hardik Pandya for a two-ball duck.
Sharma was out for a 92-ball 104 — matching Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara’s record of four centuries at a single World Cup in 2015 — and Lokesh Rahul went shortly afterward for 77, also in 92 deliveries.
Rishabh Pant added a 41-ball 48.
Mustafizur dismissed Mohammed Shami on the last ball of the innings to finish on 5-59. Top-ranked ODI allrounder Shakib Al Hasan took 1-41, also in 10 overs.
Bangladesh has proved it can chase large totals. It pulled off the second highest successful run chase in tournament history, 322, to beat the West Indies by seven wickets with eight overs left. But India will prove a tougher opponent to score freely against.
India secures a semifinal spot if it wins. Bangladesh can’t qualify if it loses.
Sharma reached his record-matching fourth century before falling to Soumya Sarkar in the next over as India continued to dominate Bangladesh. After arriving at the century mark in 90 balls, he hit a four off Soumya and was caught the next ball by Liton Das after a mis-hit drive.
India made two changes to the team that lost to England on the same pitch — with a short boundary — on Sunday. Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in for Kuldeep Yadav, and middle-order batsman Dinesh Karthik replaced Kedar Jadhav.
Bangladesh also made two changes to the team that beat Afghanistan in its last game eight days ago. Mahmudullah didn’t pass a fitness test on a calf strain and was replaced by middle-order batsman Sabbir Rahman, and fast bowler Rubel Hossain came in for Mehidy Hasan.
Kohli won the toss and decided to bat, saying he thought the wicket might deteriorate. Against an aggressive and deep Bangladesh batting lineup, the India captain will be hoping he is right.
