T20 World Cup 2022: Kohli, Arshdeep help India beat Bangladesh by 5 runs in rain-affected thriller

Arshdeep Singh bowled exceptionally well and held his nerves in the final over to help India beat Bangladesh by 5 runs in a ran-affected thriller at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Wednesday (November 02). It was a nail-biter between the two teams as the Indian bowlers staged an incredible comeback after a flying start from Bangladesh in their run-chase.

India rode on half-centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul to post a strong total of 184 runs on the board after being asked to bat first. While many were expecting the Men in Blue to dominate with the ball after their superb effort with the bat, Litton Das decided to go after the Indian bowlers from the word go and turn the game in Bangladesh's favour.

The opening batter looked in sensational touch as he slammed a quickfire 60 off just 27 balls laced with seven fours and three sixes and got his team off to an amazing start. Courtesy of his hitting prowess, Bangladesh found themselves comfortably ahead of the DLS score when rain halted play during the seventh over.

Bangladesh were 66/0 after seven overs, 17 ahead of the DLS par score of 49. As the rain got heavier, India's chances appeared to be diminishing but the game eventually resumed after a short delay with the target getting revised to 151 off 16 overs.

Also Read:'You have always been a warrior': Mahela Jayawardene reacts as Virat Kohli breaks his T20 World Cup record

India sensed an opportunity to make a comeback in the game and the bowlers didn't disappoint as Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals.Litton was run-out on 60 in the very first over post-resumption before Mohammed Shami struck to get rid of his opening partner Najmul Hossain Shanto on 21 after he started looking dangerous.

Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya then combined to get India back into the game with two wickets apiece. With 20 needed off the final over, Arshdeep managed to hold his nerves against Taskin Ahmed and Nurul Hussain to seal a thrilling 5-run victory for India.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ICC (@icc)

Also Read:Virat Kohli is a freak, his consistency in T20 World Cups is ridiculous: Shane Watson

The win has all but confirmed India's spot in the semi-finals of the tournament as the Men in Blue have now regained the top spot on the points table in Group 2 pipping South Africa.

Earlier during India's innings, Kohli continued his purple patch as he notched up his third half-century in the tournament. The Indian batting maestro looked in sublime touch as he smashed an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls to surpass Mahela Jayawardene as the leading run-getter in the history of the T20 World Cup.

India will now look to end their Super 12 campaign on a high and bag their fourth win when they lock horns in their final fifth game against Zimbabwe on Sunday. A win against Zimbabwe might see India finish on top in their group if Zimbabwe stutter.