The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune sat against rolling arid hills. The ground was open to the sky. A dry October breeze moved across the outfield.
On Thursday afternoon that open design did little to cut the noise from thirty-seven thousand supporters.
India had arrived after wins against Australia in Chennai, Afghanistan in Delhi, and Pakistan in Ahmedabad. The crowd had come for another home game in the ICC ODI World Cup.
In the glass-fronted Star Sports box, the broadcast panel prepared for Match 17.
"A very warm welcome to Pune," Harsha Bhogle said. "The sun is out, the stands are blue, and India face Bangladesh. These two sides have a long history of tight contests. India come in with three wins. Bangladesh come in needing a result to keep their campaign moving."
"They look organised, Harsha," Nasser Hussain said, watching the Indian players warm up. "The fast bowlers are going through their run-ups. The fielders are hitting their targets in the catching drills. Siddanth Deva has kept the same group together. That tells you the dressing room is settled. For Bangladesh the task is simple and hard at the same time. They have to bat well on a true surface and then bowl to a plan for fifty overs."
"The pitch looks good for batting," Ian Bishop said. "Hard, dry, even grass cover. It should come on to the bat. If you win the toss you can make a case either way. Bat first and post a total. Chase later under lights if you trust the dew. We will hear what the captains think."
The two captains walked out.
Siddanth Deva stood in the dark blue of the host nation. Shakib Al Hasan stood opposite him. The match referee handed Deva the coin.
Deva flipped it.
"Tails," Shakib called.
The coin landed tails.
Ravi Shastri took the microphone. "Shakib, you have won the toss. What will you do?"
"We will bat first, Ravi," Shakib said. "It looks a good surface. We want runs on the board and pressure in the second innings. If we handle the new ball, there should be runs later. The wicket looks true. We will try to use the first ten overs and then build."
Shastri turned to Deva. "Siddanth, you will field. Would you have preferred to bat?"
"We are fine chasing, Ravi Bhai," Deva said. "The pitch should stay true. We will bowl first, hit our lengths, and see the target. Dew can come later. We are happy to bowl now."
"Playing eleven?"
"Unchanged. Rohit, Sanju, Virat, myself, KL, Hardik, Jadeja, Ashwin, Kuldeep, Siraj, Bumrah. The group is in rhythm. We keep the same side."
The captains shook hands. India left the huddle and took their places. Bumrah marked his run-up at the pavilion end. Siraj marked his at the other. Kohli stood at second slip for the first over, then moved to cover as the field was set for the powerplay.
Harsha spoke as Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das walked out. "Bangladesh need a start. They have spoken all week about occupying the crease. Litton Das is in form. Tanzid has been given the licence to play his shots if the ball is there. India's new-ball pair has been the story of this tournament so far. Let's see how this holds."
Bumrah ran in for the first ball of the match. Full, just outside off. Litton let it go. Second ball, back of a length, fourth stump. Litton defended to cover. Third ball, fuller, inviting the drive. Litton pushed it to mid-off. Fourth ball, a hint of shape away. Left alone. Fifth ball, on the pads. Litton clipped it for two through mid-wicket. Sixth ball, yorker length. Dug out.
Maiden-plus-two. "Classic Bumrah," Bishop said. "He is not hunting wickets with the first ball. He is asking questions."
Siraj took the other end. He hit a hard length. Tanzid hopped and dropped the ball at his feet. The next ball was short. Tanzid pulled it in front of square for four. The crowd noise dipped for a moment. Siraj came back with a bouncer. Tanzid swayed. Then a full ball on off stump. Driven to mid-on. Last ball of the over, wide of off. Tanzid cut it late for two.
"That is the contest," Nasser said. "Siraj will bowl that short ball again. Tanzid will wait for it. India will not panic after one four. They have been here before."
The third over, Bumrah to Litton. A cover drive, all wrist, to the rope. Then a leave. Then a single to third man. Tanzid faced two balls and took a single. Four from the over.
Through the first six overs Bangladesh moved to 32 without loss. Litton drove twice more through cover. Tanzid pulled Siraj for another four and then took a single off a misfield at point, Jadeja diving but not stopping it cleanly.
"This is the start Bangladesh wanted," Bishop said. "They are not slogging. They are putting away the loose ball. Litton looks in good touch. Tanzid is playing the short ball with a high backlift. India have not found a nick yet."
Deva kept a slip in place until the sixth over, then took it out and put a man at deep square. He spoke to Siraj at mid-on.
Hardik Pandya came on for the seventh. He bowled cutters into the surface. Litton waited and ran a single to deep third. Tanzid inside-edged a drive past the stumps for two. Hardik appealed for lbw to a ball that pitched outside leg. The umpire shook his head. Deva did not review.
"Good decision not to go upstairs," Harsha said. "That was always missing. Deva is not burning reviews in the first ten."
Kuldeep Yadav came on in the tenth over. First ball, tossed up, drifting into Tanzid. Defended. Second ball, a little shorter. Tanzid went back and punched to long-on for one. Litton swept the third ball for two. Fourth ball, flighted. Litton pushed to cover. Fifth, a googly. Litton read it and left it. Sixth, fuller. Driven to long-off for one.
"Kuldeep is into the game," Nasser said. "He will like this breeze. He can drift it across the right-hander and bring it back."
Jadeja took the other end. Flat, fast, into the stumps. Tanzid tried to cut and missed. The next ball was even quicker. Tanzid inside-edged onto pad. A single to square leg. Litton faced three dots and then took a single to long-on.
The opening stand went past fifty in the thirteenth over. The crowd stayed loud, but the Indian fielders were quiet, talking only between balls.
Kuldeep's third over. He tossed one up. Tanzid stepped out, did not get to the pitch, and pushed at it. The ball dipped, spun past the outside edge, and hit the pad. Kuldeep appealed. So did Samson behind the stumps. The umpire's finger went up.
Tanzid spoke to Litton about a review. They decided against it. Replays later showed three reds.
Tanzid out for 28. Bangladesh 54 for 1.
Najmul Hossain Shanto walked in. He took a single first ball, off Jadeja, to get off the mark.
Litton kept the strike rotating. He swept Jadeja for four when the length was full. He drove Ashwin, who had replaced Hardik, through extra cover for three.
Ashwin bowled from the pavilion end with a deep mid-wicket and a man at short fine. He used the carrom ball once an over. Shanto picked the first one and defended. The second one, later, turned past the outside edge.
"Ashwin is not giving them pace," Bishop said. "He is making them generate it. On this surface that is the way to bowl. You do not need five wickets in five balls. You need to keep them at four an over until the thirty-fifth."
The middle overs became a grind of singles. Shanto and Litton added 41. Then Litton, on 46, tried to loft Ashwin over mid-off. The ball held in the surface. Kohli ran in from cover and took a low catch.
Litton out for 46. Bangladesh 95 for 2 in the twenty-first over.
Shakib Al Hasan came in. He tapped gloves with Shanto.
Deva set a ring field. Jadeja, Ashwin, Kuldeep, and himself in rotation. Shakib swept, paddle-swept, and worked the gaps. Shanto played straight. The rate sat between 4.5 and 5.
Between overs Deva moved Kohli from cover to extra cover and put Hardik at a catching mid-wicket for Shakib's slog-sweep.
In the twenty-sixth over Jadeja beat Shanto with one that skidded on. The appeal was loud. The umpire said not out. Deva asked Samson. Samson said it was high. They did not review. Ball tracking, shown later, had it clipping the bails. Umpire's call.
"That is why they did not review," Nasser said. "Even if it is out on tracking, it is umpire's call on height. You save the review."
Shanto reached 40. Shakib reached 20. Mushfiqur Rahim waited in the dugout with his gloves on.
In the twenty-ninth over Shanto tried to reverse-sweep Kuldeep. He missed. The ball hit off stump.
Shanto out for 43. Bangladesh 138 for 3.
Mushfiqur came in and swept his first ball for two. He played late. He used the crease. With Shakib he added 34.
Deva brought himself on in the thirty-third over. Back of a length, into the body, off-cutter mixed with a scrambled-seam ball. Shakib defended four balls and took a single off the fifth. Mushfiqur faced the last ball and dropped it at his feet.
"Deva is not bowling for pace here," Harsha said. "He is bowling for the cutter. The ball is gripping a little. That is enough."
Mahmudullah came in when Shakib, on 38, drove at Deva and sliced to point. Jadeja took it at chest height.
Bangladesh 172 for 4 in the thirty-sixth.
Deva's next over. Mahmudullah tried to work a slower ball through mid-wicket. He chipped it. The ball went to mid-on. Siraj took a simple catch.
Mahmudullah out for 4. Bangladesh 178 for 5.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined Mushfiqur. They ran hard. Mushfiqur swept Ashwin for four. Mehidy lofted Jadeja over extra cover for four. The forty-second over went for nine.
Bumrah came back. Yorker, yorker, low full toss. Mushfiqur dug out two and took a single. Mehidy missed a yorker that was heading for off stump and inside-edged to fine leg for one.
Siraj took the other end. He bowled a hard length into the pitch. Mushfiqur pulled and mistimed to deep square. The fielder, Rohit, took it running in.
Mushfiqur out for 41. Bangladesh 211 for 6 in the forty-fourth.
The lower order swung. Taskin Ahmed slogged Kuldeep for six over mid-wicket. Next ball, he missed a googly and was bowled.
Mustafizur Rahman blocked three and was run out going for a second to Kohli's throw from cover. Kohli hit the stumps at the bowler's end on the half-volley.
Hasan Mahmud hit two twos and then holed out to long-on off Hardik.
Last over, last wicket. Siraj to Shoriful Islam. Two dots. A wide. A single. Then a yorker at the base of middle. The stumps broke.
Bangladesh 256 all out in 49.5 overs.
The players walked off. The crowd stood.
"A respectable total," Nasser said. "They built partnerships. They did not collapse after the fifth wicket the way they have in some games this year. India's bowlers kept the rate in check. Bumrah and Siraj at the death. Kuldeep with the key wicket of Tanzid. Deva with two in the middle. 256 is a score you can defend if you take early wickets. It is also a score you can chase if you bat with a plan."
Bishop added, "The surface is still good. It has not broken up. Under lights it may come on a little more. India will fancy this. Bangladesh will fancy it if they can get Rohit early."
---
The sun dropped behind the hills. Shadows stretched across the outfield. The floodlights came on.
Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson walked out. The target was 257.
Taskin Ahmed took the ball from the pavilion end. Mustafizur Rahman marked his run-up at the other.
Taskin's first ball was full on off stump. Rohit drove it straight back past the bowler for four. The crowd stood. Second ball, short of a length. Rohit defended. Third, a little wider. Left alone. Fourth, on the pads. Flicked for two. Fifth, back of a length. Punched to cover for one. Sanju faced the last ball and defended.
Mustafizur angled the ball across Rohit. First ball, left. Second, driven to mid-off. Third, shorter. Rohit rocked back and pulled it over mid-wicket for six. The ball landed in the second tier.
"That is the shot he has played all tournament," Harsha said. "He is not waiting for the tenth over. He is telling Bangladesh they have to bowl to his strengths or go for runs."
Sanju played late. He used the depth of the crease. He punched Taskin through point for four. He ran three to deep extra cover when Mehidy misfielded. He took a single off Mustafizur's cutter and gave Rohit the strike again.
The opening stand moved quickly. After six overs India were 41 without loss. After eight they were 52.
Hasan Mahmud came on for the ninth. He bowled a hard length, skidding on. Rohit pulled. The ball held up. The top edge went high toward deep square leg. The fielder settled and took the catch.
Rohit out for 42 off 31 balls. India 65 for 1.
"Caught in the deep," Bishop said. "Rohit was going well. He picked the length a fraction late. Bangladesh needed that. The new batter now is Virat Kohli, and the crowd has found another gear."
Kohli walked out. He tapped gloves with Sanju.
"Pitch is playing well under the lights," Sanju said. "Spinners getting a bit of grip but nothing major. Mahmud is hitting that hard length. Fizz is going across you."
"We build," Kohli said. "Rotate. No dots if we can help it. Put the fielders under pressure."
Sanju nodded. "You take Mahmud, Virat Bhai. I'll take Fizz."
Kohli took guard. First ball, back of a length on off. Defended. Second, fuller. Driven to mid-off for a quick single. Sanju was home easily.
Mustafizur to Sanju. Cutter. Sanju waited and ran it to third man for one. Kohli faced the next four. He left one. He defended two. He clipped the last off his pads for two.
"That is Kohli in a chase," Nasser said. "He is not looking for the cover drive first ball. He is looking for the middle of the bat. He will score at a run a ball without you noticing, and then he will score faster."
Shakib brought himself on in the thirteenth over. Sanju stepped out and drove him inside-out through extra cover for four. High elbow, full face. Next ball, flatter. Sanju defended. Then a single to long-on. Kohli worked two into the leg side and took a single to mid-wicket.
Mehidy bowled from the other end, darting the ball into the pads. Kohli played late, off the back foot, into the gap at square leg. Sanju used his feet and lofted a drive over mid-off for four when Mehidy tossed it up.
The partnership grew in ones and twos. Kohli ran the first run hard every time. Sanju responded. A misfield at deep point turned one into two. A throw that missed the stumps at the striker's end turned a risky single into an easy one.
Sanju reached 40 with a cut off Taskin, who had been brought back for two overs. Kohli reached 30 with a flick off his pads for four.
Near fifty, Sanju stepped out to Mehidy. He drove firmly. The ball stayed in the air toward extra cover. The fielder dived to his right and took it with both hands.
Sanju out for 48. India 142 for 2 in the twenty-third over.
"What a catch," Harsha said. "Sanju is out just short of fifty. He played the supporting innings. He timed the ball. He ran well. Bangladesh have a door open, but it is a small door. Kohli is still there, and Deva is walking out."
Siddanth Deva walked in. He marked his guard. He tapped gloves with Kohli.
"Spinners are flat and straight," Kohli said. "Mehidy into the pads. Shakib is mixing the arm ball. Don't reach for it."
"We play late," Deva said. "Let it come. How is the bounce?"
"True. A little two-paced when they cut the fingers. Nothing that jumps."
"Good. We stay here a while."
Deva's first ball was from Mehidy, on middle. Defended. Second, a little wider. Cut to point for one. Kohli took a single off the next. They were off.
Shakib to Deva. Three dots. Then a single to long-on. Kohli swept the last ball for two.
At the end of that over they stood together again.
"You see the way Taskin is trying that wide line when he comes back?" Kohli said. "He thinks I am going to drive everything."
"Leave a few," Deva said. "He will get bored and come straighter. Then you can decide."
Kohli grinned. "You sound like my old coach. Next you will tell me to watch the ball."
"I already told you that in the nets last week," Deva said. "You still nicked one."
"That was the net bowler's fault. The ball swung late."
"Sure it did," Deva said. "Keep the shape. We'll get there."
Kohli laughed once and went back to the striker's end.
Hasan Mahmud returned for a short spell. He went short to Deva. Deva pulled along the ground to deep mid-wicket for one. He went full to Kohli. Kohli drove to long-off for one. The rate sat at a run a ball. India needed 95 from 24 overs. The required rate was under four.
Mustafizur came back. He went across Kohli. Kohli opened the face and ran it to third man. He then punched a length ball through extra cover for four when Mustafizur overpitched by a fraction.
A Bangladesh fielder at mid-wicket, standing closer than usual, spoke as Kohli took guard the next over.
"Still waiting for the big shot? Pitch is slow. Ball is not coming on. Maybe next over."
Kohli said nothing but defended the next two balls. He took a single off the third. As he ran through he said nothing.
Deva faced the rest of the over. He drove a half-volley to long-off for one. He left a wide one. He blocked the last.
Between overs they met again.
"How many do we need now?" Kohli asked, glancing at the board.
"About eighty," Deva said. "Plenty of time. Don't start looking for the big ones yet."
"I am not looking. I am asking. You are the one who keeps checking the board like it is going to change by itself."
"Someone has to count," Deva said. "You just hit the ball."
"I can count."
"You count in fifties. I count in singles. That is why we get along."
Kohli shook his head. "If I get out to a full toss now, I am blaming you."
"If you get out to a full toss, I am sending you to net bowler duty for a week."
They split. Kohli took strike.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran in for the twenty-eighth over. The first ball was flatter and quicker, angling into middle and leg. Kohli tried to flick through mid-wicket. He missed. The ball hit the front pad, low.
The Bangladesh fielders appealed together. The bowler, the keeper, the slip. The umpire, Richard Kettleborough, raised his finger.
Kohli looked at the pad, then at the umpire. The ball had hit him in front. He took a step toward Deva, not sure about the review.
Deva raised his hands into a T from the non-striker's end. He did not walk in first.
Kohli stopped. "Sid, it felt straight. Hit me on the knee roll."
Deva walked down. "It is sliding down leg."
"You sure? He bowled it flat. Angle looked tight."
"Missing leg by a bit. Release was wider on the crease. The arm angle takes it past."
Kohli stayed.
In the commentary box Nasser Hussain said, "Kettleborough is one of the better umpires. That looked close in real time. Kohli looked ready to walk. Deva reviewed from the other end without a long talk."
"If it is wrong they lose a review and they lose their set batter," Bishop said. "That is a call from twenty-two yards."
The third umpire checked the front foot. Fair delivery. UltraEdge showed no bat. Ball tracking showed the ball pitching on middle, hitting in line, and going past leg stump.
The screen showed NOT OUT.
The crowd noise rose. Kohli exhaled and bumped gloves with Deva.
"How did you see that?" Kohli asked.
"Wrist angle at release," Deva said, walking back.
Harsha Bhogle said, "Missing leg stump. Decision overturned. We have to talk about that review. Deva did not wait for Kohli to sell it to him. He had already made up his mind."
"Strong eye," Nasser said. "From the other end, reading the path that quickly. Mehidy will be gutted. He thought he had him."
The next ball, Mehidy dropped it a little short. Kohli went back and punched it through cover for two. The ball after that, a single.
Deva faced the last two balls of the over. He defended both.
At the drinks break they sat on their haunches in the middle. The physio brought bottles. Kohli stretched his hip. Deva looked at the board.
"One-fifty for two," Deva said. "Need a hundred. Overs left are plenty."
"I nearly walked," Kohli said. "I felt it on the pad and I thought, that's it, see you in the dressing room."
"You would have been angry in the dressing room. Better you stay angry here."
Kohli smiled. "I am not angry. I am thirsty."
"Drink. Then we go again. No hero shots until we are under fifty needed."
"Yes, captain."
"Don't 'yes, captain' me. Last time you said that you reverse-swept the next ball."
"It was a four."
"It was a chance. The fielder dropped it."
"Details," Kohli said.
They stood up. The crowd clapped them back in.
Taskin bowled a short spell of hard length. Deva pulled one for four when the ball sat up. Kohli drove one through extra cover when Taskin went full. Eight off the over.
Shakib tried a round-the-wicket angle to Deva. Deva waited and cut late for two. Then a single. Kohli reverse-swept, along the ground, for two more. Then a tap to long-on.
The mid-wicket fielder spoke again as Kohli took strike the following over.
"Century coming? Or another fifty and out? We have seen that before."
Kohli waited. Hasan Mahmud overpitched. Kohli drove through cover for four. As he crossed at the end of the run he said, without raising his voice, "Still waiting? Keep counting. I will let you know when it arrives."
Deva kept a straight face until they met in the middle.
"You had to say something," Deva said.
"He started it. I just finished the sentence."
"Next time finish it with six. Saves the talking."
"I will put it in the diary," Kohli said. "Siddanth Deva, life coach and captain."
"Add net bowler to that list if you play across a straight one."
Kohli tapped his bat. "You reviewed that lbw. You don't get to threaten me with nets."
"I reviewed it because I like having you at the other end. Don't make me regret it."
They both smiled. The umpire called play.
Deva reached fifty with a drive down the ground off Mustafizur, full face, no flourish. He raised his bat once. The crowd clapped. He did not take his helmet off. He spoke to Kohli as they crossed.
"Fifty," Kohli said. "Now you can stop blocking like it is day five in Nagpur."
"I will block if I want to block. You keep scoring."
Kohli was on 74 then. India needed 55 from 14 overs.
The next over, Shakib to Deva. Deva defended two, took a single off the third. Kohli swept for four. Then a single. Deva faced the last ball and dropped it dead.
Kohli on 79. Deva on 52.
Mahmud to Kohli. Short. Pulled, along the ground, for two. Then a single. Deva took a single to third man. Kohli drove through mid-off for four. A fielder dived and did not stop it.
Mustafizur bowled a half-volley outside off. Deva could have driven it through extra cover. He pushed it to deep cover and jogged one. Kohli was back on strike.
Kohli drove the next ball for two. Then he defended. Then he took a single.
Shakib to Deva. Deva defended the first ball with a straight bat. Second, same. Third, same. Fourth, tapped to long-on for one.
In the commentary box Nasser Hussain said, "Deva has stopped the attacking shots. He is defending the good ones and taking singles on the others. He is giving the strike to Kohli."
"He could finish this himself," Harsha said. "He is fifty-five, the ball is there to hit, and he is choosing not to. He is managing the chase and the milestone at the same time."
"That is captaincy," Bishop said. "The team is winning. He is making sure the man who has done the work gets to the number. No one in that dressing room will forget this."
Kohli, on strike, hit a cover drive for four to move into the nineties. He flicked through mid-wicket for two. He was on 96.
India needed 5. Kohli needed 4.
The mid-wicket fielder had gone quiet. Kohli did not look at him. He took guard.
Hasan Mahmud ran in. He pitched the ball up, at the stumps. Kohli stepped forward and swung through the line. The ball went over mid-wicket and over the rope. Six.
The stadium noise peaked. The ball landed in empty seats beyond the rope. The match was won. The century was complete on the same shot.
Kohli took off his helmet. He pumped his fists toward the crowd. He looked up at the dressing room. Then he turned.
Deva walked down the pitch and pulled him into a hug.
"Well played," Deva said.
"Would not have got there without those blocks," Kohli said. "Thanks."
"The team needed it. You earned it."
Kohli held the hug a second longer. "You could have hit the winning runs."
"I have hit winning runs before. You needed this one. Also, I like watching you get angry at the sky. It is good television."
Kohli laughed, still out of breath. "I was not angry at the sky."
"You were a bit angry at the sky."
They walked off together. Kohli raised his bat to all sides of the ground. Deva raised his bat once, briefly, and then put his arm back down.
India had chased 257 with two wickets down. Kohli finished on 102 not out. Deva finished on 60 not out. The partnership was unbeaten.
The dressing room came onto the boundary. Rohit was first. He clapped Kohli on the helmet. Sanju shook Deva's hand. Bumrah, still in his fielding kit from earlier, stood at the rope and clapped.
Harsha Bhogle closed the broadcast from the box.
"India win by eight wickets. A chase that looked simple on the board and still had a moment of tension when Kohli was given out lbw. The review was Deva's. The hundred was Kohli's. Bangladesh fought. They posted 256. They took two wickets. They did not take the third. That was the difference."
Nasser Hussain said, "You can talk about the bowling first innings. You can talk about Rohit's start and Sanju's forty-eight. The image people will take from Pune is two things. Deva putting up the T, and Kohli hitting the six. One is a captain reading a ball from the other end. The other is a batter finishing a chase the way he has finished chases for years."
Ian Bishop said, "Bangladesh will look at the death overs with the bat and feel they left twenty runs out there. They will look at the dropped chances that did not come, because India did not offer many. They bowled with a plan. Mehidy almost had Kohli. Almost is not a wicket. India go to four wins from four. The tournament moves on."
India 257 for 2 in 41.3 overs. Kohli 102 not out. Deva 60 not out. Bangladesh 256 all out. India won by eight wickets.