One-day international, Mirpur: India 249-4 (43 ovs) bt Bangladesh 247 (50 ovs) by six wicketsScorecard
**Virat Kohli continued his prolific form with an assured 102 not out as India beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a dead triangular series match in Mirpur.**Bowling first, India’s seamers reduced the hosts to 95-5 in the 24th over.
A 106-run stand between Shakib Al Hasan (85) and Mahmudullah (64 not out) steered Bangladesh to 247-6.
But assisted by Gautam Gambhir (41), Kohli tore into Bangladesh’s bowlers with a 95-ball ton as India romped to victory with 42 balls to spare.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side, second in the International Cricket Council’s one-day ratings, face Sri Lanka, ranked seventh, in the final on Wednesday in Mirpur.
Dhoni once again took advantage of winning the toss and opting to bowl first, sidestepping the issue of dealing with a wet ball as the evening dew sets in.
And his triumvirate of seamers, Sreesanth, Ashish Nehra and Sudeep Tyagi, tore into the top order as Bangladesh were reduced to 67-4.
Captain Shakib, batting at five, stymied the rampant Indian attack with an assured 97-ball innings, ably assisted by the ever-improving Mahmudullah.
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The all-rounder smashed eight boundaries and a six while his sixth-wicket partner found the ropes five times, along with a solitary maximum.
But Bangladesh’s bowling attack faced an uphill battle to rein in India’s free-flowing strokemakers inside of 247.
Openers Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik (34) built a solid foundation for Kohli to cut loose, assisted by Dhoni (32) and Raina (18 not out).
The stylish right-hander is the top run scorer in the tournament and extended his lead over second-placed Mahmudullah with a series of scintillating strokes around the wicket.
Kohli was given a reprieve on 81 when he was dropped on the deep midwicket boundary by Mohammad Ashraful off Syed Rasel.
But the 21-year-old soon made amends for his aberration by registering his second one-day hundred with a scythed four through midwicket off Shakib, a boundary which condemned Bangladesh to their fourth successive defeat.
Kohli becomes becomes the third Indian to score two one-day international hundreds before their 22nd birthday. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina have previously achieved the feat.