India complete revenge win

MIRPUR, 19 FEB: Virender Sehwag had said before the match that this was a "revenge match" for India and that the team hadn't forgotten the loss in 2007. If Sehwag is to be believed, he completed the revenge in grand style and kicked off India's 2011 World Cup campaign with a thumping 87-run win.

Batting first after losing the toss, India opened with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. At about 60 for 0 after 10 overs, India looked set for a huge score. But then Tendulkar (28) fell to a run out and India went through a period of consolidation with Gautam Gambhir (39) at the crease. Just as he and Sehwag threatened to get away from Bangladesh, Gambhir fell.

Gambhir's wicket brought Virat Kohli (100 not out) to the crease and he grabbed the opportunity he received ahead of Suresh Raina with both hands. Starting cautiously, he let Sehwag blossom and then cut loose to finish with his fifth ODI hundred. He combined with Sehwag to forge a 203-run partnership in just 24.1 overs to take the game totally beyond Bangladesh.

While Kohli, Tendulkar and Gambhir played their parts, the star of the match was undoubtedly Virender Sehwag (175). He has recently said that he wants to bat for long and score big scores in ODIs. His effort today puts him at the joint second-highest scorer for India in World Cup cricket behind only Sourav Ganguly and joint with Kapil Dev.

Sehwag's innings was his usual mix of exhilarating strokeplay and some doubtful moments! But in typical Sehwag style, he sailed through it all to register a massive total. One over in particular from Abdur Razzaq will be a memorable one. He carted the hapless bowler for two brutal fours punctuated by a massive six.

India's total of 370 was always going to be a tall order for Bangladesh to overhaul. But their start would have put doubt into the Indian players' minds. Sreesanth did everyting in his power to ensure Bangladesh got off to a flyer. At 51 for 0 after 5 overs, Bangladesh were in the match. Soon enough, though, a wicket fell and things started to get difficult.

Useful partnerships all along, though, kept Bangladesh interested. But the task was always too tough. Despite Sreesanth's failure, Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan continued to chp away at the opposition finishing with 4/48 and 2/40 respectively. Harbhajan Singh (1/41) and Yusuf Pathan (1/49) were the other wicket-takers for India.

For Bangladesh, Tamim Iqbal (70) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (55) were the key batsmen with useful contributions from Imrul Kayes (34) and Junaid Siddique (37). It was, in fact, Kayes who got the Bangladesh team off to a flyer and has perhaps ended S Sreesanth's World Cup campaign.

That Bangladesh couldn't beat India was expected, but the manner in which the Indian batting, back at full-strength, dominated will be heartening for Indian fans. With tougher challenges ahead, this match will prove to be a big morale booster. And it will also ensure that India gets its combination absolutely right for the next match.

Brief Scores: India 370/4 in 50 overs (V Sehwag 175, V Kohli 100 not out; Mahmudullah 1/49) beat Bangladesh 283/9 in 50 0vers (T Iqbal 70, S Al Hasan 55; M Patel 4/48, Z Khan 2/40) by 83 runs.