Mashrafe sees the funny side

"In Tests, we see different scenarios. How the game went today, it was like in T20s," Bangladesh all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz encapsulated what transpired in India's first innings on day four of the second and final Test at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur yesterday.

The home side scaled new heights, moving from one world record to another in an enticing and fast-forward day of Test cricket. India, leading the series 1-0, had two days to win a match, and while many might have naively expected a draw after two days of rain, the hosts surpassed all expectations.

First came the fastest 50 by a team, then the fastest 100, 150, and 200 followed. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal started it, and the others maintained that mode of batting as a Test match turned into T20 cricket after Bangladesh had made 233 in the first innings, courtesy of Mominul Haque's unbeaten 107.

India batted for 34.4 overs, just over a session. They scored 285 for nine to not only ensure a lead in the quickest time possible but also declared to pick up two Bangladesh wickets: opener Zakir Hasan and nightwatchman Hasan Mahmud.

It was a very different Test experience for the likes of Khaled Ahmed, hit for two sixes in his first two deliveries this series, or even Mehedi Hasan Miraz and the experienced Shakib Al Hasan.

Miraz admitted that they went into T20 mode too, and it was what he and Shakib both did. He bagged a four-fer along with Shakib to dent India's rapid scoring, but it was still difficult. Talking about his dismissal of Rohit Sharma, who was looking menacing, he said: "The way he started with a first-ball six, it was a challenge to bowl. I tried to bowl in T20 mode."

Talking about Shakib's four-fer, he said: "They batted in a T20 mindset, and since he's very successful in the format, he understood how to apply himself, and he got it from the very first over."

But the match scenario does not allow for more aggression from Bangladesh batters, who will have to face more than two sessions to save the match.

"The situation right now is that we have to think of safety first. We will try to bat as long as possible," Miraz felt.

But overall, it was a different kind of experience for Bangladesh. India batted at more than 10 an over in the first 10 overs faced. They just kept going, even as wickets fell.

"Before this, two days were foiled by rain. Obviously, this hasn't happened before, and it was new for me. There is a lot to learn from this match, and we have done that," he added.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto put forth the same old worn out excuses of 'not executing plans' and 'poor wickets at home' as reasons for the utter humiliation at the hands of India in the final T20I of the three-match series in Hyderabad yesterday, which ended in a crushing 133-run defeat.

As the margin of the defeat suggests, it was a total mismatch between the sides at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with India doubling down on the dominance they had shown in the previous two T20Is with a victory that showed just how far ahead the reigning T20 world champions are compared to the Tigers.

India, who had rested several of their marquee names in the series, had already asserted their superiority over Bangladesh with wins by seven wickets and 86 runs in the first two T20Is, respectively.

But the hosts were only revving up their T20 engine which went into overdrive in the third T20I and steamrolled the Tigers, crushing them under the humungous total of 297-6.

Opener Sanju Samson put on an exhibition, both caressing and hammering the ball to the boundary in a scintillating 111 off 47 balls which featured 11 fours and eight sixes.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav (75 off 35), Hardik Pandya (47 off 18) and Riyan Parag (34 off 13) also treated the thousands of home fans at the stands with a plethora of boundaries while the Bangladesh bowlers looked on helplessly, out of ideas and devoid of any inspiration to stop the Indian barrage.

In reply, Towhid Hridoy remained not out on 63 off 42 balls and Liton Das made 42 off 25 balls but that did little to hide Bangladesh's blushes in the match.

"We didn't play our best cricket," skipper Shanto, looking totally defeated, said after the match.

"We didn't execute our plans as a batting unit. We bowled well for a couple of overs in some matches but today [Saturday] we didn't bowl well," he added.

Shanto, who about a month ago was beaming after leading Bangladesh to a historic 2-0 Test series sweep over Pakistan, is now seeing the other side of the coin, having lost the two-Test series against India 2-0 before the 3-0 drubbing in the T20Is.

Yesterday, Bangladesh did get an early breakthrough after they were sent to bowl first, with Tanzim Sakib getting opener Abhishek Sharma out for four in the second over.

But after that, Samson and Suryakumar went after the Bangladesh bowlers. They took a liking to the aerial route as they comfortably cleared the ropes on numerous occasions.

India hit a staggering 22 sixes in the innings, but when it was Bangladesh's turn to dish out some punishment, they could clear the ropes only four times, three of which came off the bat of Hridoy.

A lack of skills, poor planning and dearth of belief have been evident throughout the series in the Bangladesh camp. Shanto urged his players to acknowledge the shortcomings and take responsibility. "We need to believe in ourselves that we can compete against any team. We need to change our home wickets and the players need to take responsibilities."

Under pressure following a listless 1-1 draw against Pakistan in their first match and destabilised by the talk of rift between the coach and senior players becoming public, Bangladesh couldn't have come up with a better response than their 3-1 win against five-time SAFF Women's Championship winners India in their final Group A fixture at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu yesterday.

Tohura Khatun scored a brace after Afeida Khandaker's opener as Bangladesh blew away India with a three-goal burst inside the first 42 minutes to raise hopes of an encore of last edition's result against their more storied neighbours. India, however, dented that hope with a goal back in the first half and had quite a few chances to score more after the break, but Peter Butler's charges held on to the two-goal cushion to qualify for the semifinals as group winners.

Butler, who was openly criticised by midfielder Monika Chakma for not preferring senior players ahead of the second match, decided to go with two changes from the first match, bringing in experienced midfielder Maria Manda in place of Sapna Rani and Masura Parvin in defence, replacing the inexperienced Sohagi Kisku.

Maria's inclusion, especially, gave the midfield the much-needed defensive solidity, with Monika Chakma allowed to roam more freely while captain Sabina Khatun, although not quite in her elements, operated from a deeper position.

The opening goal, though, came from a defender as Afeida Khandaker chipped home from inside the box after India goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu could only half-clear a corner-kick from Sabina in the 18th minute.

Rituporna, a handful for the India defence down the left, saw her shot come off the crossbar eight minutes later before setting up Tohura to bundle home at the far post on the 29th minute.

Bangladesh were relentless as they continued to pour forward and one of those moves culminated in the third goal on 42 minutes, Tohura's powerful shot from outside the box on a set-up from Shamsunnahar Jr gave the India goalkeeper no chance.

Bangladesh goalkeeper Rupna Chakma, at the other end, had a mixed bag as she made a couple of fumbles, including one in the 44th minute when she let a cross slip through her hands, allowing India's all-time leading scorer Bala Devi to head home.

The Bangladesh goalkeeper made amends, though, with a string of valiant saves in the second half as India looked to get more out of this game after having brushed aside Pakistan with a 5-2 win in the tournament opener.

Despite India's dominance, the scoreline remained same as Bangladesh players and officials celebrated a much-deserved and much-needed victory.

Butler's charges will have to wait till today to learn their semifinal opponents, the runners-up from Group B.

In a bombshell press conference on Thursday, Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said that he had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that the upcoming South Africa Test series at home in October-November will be the last Test series of his career.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, of which he was an MP, Shakib has not returned to the country. He feels that if he can head back to the country and leave on his own terms, he will play the series against South Africa, which is to be his last Test series.

It is not just Test cricket that Shakib is set to leave as he further informed that he will not be playing T20 format for the next few series as he feels it is time to move on from the format.

Asked if he would play the T20I series against India, starting on October 6, he informed that he feels he has already played his last T20I.

"I think I have played my last match at the World Cup [against Afghanistan]," he added. 

When asked if the Champions Trophy in 2025 would be his last foray in the ODI format, he simply said "I hope so. Nine more ODIs."