India skipper Rohit Sharma firmly admitted that his side were let down by their efforts with the bat in their one-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the first ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, saying another 30 to 40 runs could have made a difference.
Despite having a line-up in which batting resources were available till No.9, India had a disappointing time with the bat on a slow pitch, being bundled out for a paltry 186 in 41.2 overs as Shakib Al Hasan used his line, length, and the crease well to pick 5 for 36 while Ebadot Hossain was consistent in his usage of short balls to scalp 4 for 47.
For India, K.L Rahul was the lone ranger, making a fine 73 off 70 balls and did the majority of scoring in the 60-run stand with Washington Sundar. "It wasn't enough runs. Another 30-40 runs (with the bat) would have made a difference.
With K.L. and Washy, we could have got there. Unfortunately, we lost wickets in the middle, and it is not easy to come back," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony. Rohit said the Indian batters have to get their act together in batting against the spinners, as six of their wickets in the first ODI fell to spinners.
"The pitch was a bit challenging, the odd ball was turning. You have to understand how to play. There are no excuses, we are used to such conditions. We need to look at how to bat against their spinners in these conditions."
Though India took a wicket on the very first ball in their defence of 186 and triggered a Bangladesh collapse from 128/4 to 136/9 in a span of 26 balls. But Mehidy made an unbeaten 38 not out and stitched an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 51 off 41 balls with Mustafizur Rahman being 10 not out to give Bangladesh a heroic victory.
India, who play a lot of high-pressure situations in their matches, just lost the plot and wilted under pressure in the last six overs. There were drop catches like K.L Rahul dropping Mehidy at 15, fielding lapses, and overthrows apart from wayward bowling which led to their loss.
"It was a very close game. We did very well to come back into the game. We did not bat well. 186 wasn't good enough, but we bowled pretty well and kept them under pressure till the end. They held their nerves in the backend."
"If you look back at how we bowled, of course, the last few overs, we would have liked to get a wicket. But we bowled pretty well for 40 overs and we kept taking wickets all through," added Rohit. With India now 1-0 behind and the second ODI at the same venue on Wednesday, Rohit wants the visitors' to turn the tables.
"I don't really know how much they can improve in a couple of practice sessions. The genes are there, these guys grew up playing in such conditions." "It is all about handling pressure. Once you do, it gives you confidence.
It is important to learn how to handle those pressure situations. Hopefully, we change things around in the next game."