Bangladesh clinched a thrilling five-run win over India to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series in Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Wednesday.
Chasing 272 for a series leveling victory, India managed 266/9 in their 50 overs, despite the late heroics of injured captain Rohit Sharma.
Rohit came out to bat at No 9 and almost pulled off a remarkable win as the right-hander scored 51 off just 28 balls, but his effort was not enough in the end.
Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman bowled a maiden in the 48th over against No 10 batsman Mohammad Siraj as the tourists were left with 40 required from 12 deliveries.
Rohit smashed two sixes in the penultimate over bowled by Mahmudullah, and he received help along the way from Bangladesh fielders who dropped him twice, once by Ebadot Hossain at short fine-leg and the other by Anamul Haque in deep square leg.
Mustafizur bowled the last over for Bangladesh as India still needed 20 runs.
Rohit scored two boundaries from the first four balls and that meant India required two sixes from the two last deliveries of the match.
Rohit smashed a six in the fifth ball and India needed one more off the final delivery.
Mustafizur bowled a superb yorker in the last ball which Rohit failed to connect properly and thus Bangladesh won by the narrow margin of five runs.
Also Read: Domingo doesn't understand Mahmudullah criticism
India had lost experienced Virat Kohli (five) and Shikhar Dhawan (eight) within five overs as Ebadot cleaned up the former in the second over, while Mustafizur dismissed Dhawan in the following over.
India then lost their third wicket, that of Washington Sundar on 11 to Shakib al Hasan in the 10th over.
Around 10 overs later, off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz removed KL Rahul for 14.
India recovered from the early loss of wickets with the fifth-wicket partnership between Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer.
Miraz removed Iyer for 82 in the 35th over to break the 107-run stand.
Bangladesh accounted for the sixth Indian wicket of Axar in the 39th over after right-arm pacer Ebadot removed him for 56.
Earlier, hosts Bangladesh posted 271 losing seven wickets, riding on a brilliant unbeaten century from Miraz and Mahmudullah's 77.
Miraz's superb century came off just 83 balls with eight fours and four sixes, while Mahmudullah's 77 came off 96 deliveries with seven boundaries.
Tigers lost three top-order batsmen quickly as skipper Liton Das (seven), Anamul Haque Bijoy (11) and Nazmul Hossain Shanto (21) all went back to the pavilion within 15 overs.
Also Read: India fined for slow over rate
At one stage, Bangladesh were 69/6 and struggling to even take the score past 100 after batting first.
But Mahmudullah and Miraz rebuilt the innings with the seventh-wicket partnership of 148 runs, which is the highest in any wicket for Bangladesh against India.
Bangladesh made one change in the playing XI with left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed replacing young right-arm fast bowler Hasan Mahmud.
India on the other hand had two alterations with Axar taking the place of Shahbaz Ahmed and Umran Malik playing in place of Kuldeep Sen.
Right-arm fast bowler Kuldeep had complained of back stiffness following the first ODI.
The BCCI medical team assessed him and advised him rest, making him unavailable for selection for the second ODI.
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das (capt), Anamul Haque, Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Ebadot Hossain
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik