Bangladesh needed 51 runs when Mustafizur Rahman walked to the middle as the last batter to join Mehedi Hasan Miraz.
Hopes were down as Bangladesh had just lost five quick wickets with eight runs scored, and the stands that were packed were getting empty.
However, the Miraz-Mustafizur duo from there somehow pulled off a historic one-wicket victory against India in the first match of the three-ODI series at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium Sunday.
The astonishing unbroken last-wicket stand between Miraz and Mustafizur was triggered when the latter struck Bangladesh's first boundary in 105 balls with a punch through the covers off Mohammed Siraj.
Miraz then took the charge and went after boundaries with nothing-to-lose attitude.
The right-handed batter carved behind point, scooped to fine leg, punched, and pulled; and as the target neared, India's fielding disintegrated.
The winning runs, in the 46th over, came from Miraz who remained unbeaten on 38 off 39, laced with four boundaries and two over boundaries.
Mustafizur on the other end of the crease celebrated Bangladesh's sixth ODI victory against India.
Player of the match Miraz following the game revealed that it was Mustafizur who encouraged him and kept the belief that Bangladesh, despite the middle-order collapse chasing 187, can still win the game.
“I was worried to be honest, when we lost the ninth wicket. But Mustafizur immediately after arriving told me that he is not going to lose his wicket and that I should play my own game. This was a big encouragement, given the situation we were in. I was the last recognized batter, and usually you worry more of the batter on the other end of the crease, that he doesn't lose the wicket,” Miraz informed the media.
“Credit should also go to Mustafizur for the temperament he showed. It is never easy for a tail-end batter to sustain under such pressure. It was encouraging for me, the way he was speaking to me and giving me positive advises,” he added.
The occasion is the second for Miraz where he emerged as the hero for Bangladesh with the bat.
In February, he had pulled Bangladesh back from a similar situation alongside Afif Hossain to help register a four-wicket win against Afghanistan in Chittagong.
Bangladesh in pursuit of 215 were tottering at 45 for six when Miraz and Afif took over and produced a record 174-run stand for the seventh wicket to snatch victory away from the Afghans.
Miraz however, keeps his winning contribution against India ahead of the effort he put in against the Afghans.
“I think the situation [yesterday] was tougher than it was against Afghanistan. We had just one wicket to survive, and the batting condition was not very easy, it was a tough job to accomplish and tougher to keep your confidence high. We had Ebadot [Hossain], Hasan Mahmud and then Mustafizur to come when Afif got out. So I was planning partnerships – that I will get 15 runs with Ebadot and may be another 20 runs with Hasan, but they got out quickly to make the situation tougher. I will keep the win against India ahead of Afghanistan,” said Miraz.