One team is supposed to win while the other will lose in any normal circumstance of any regular sport. There are wins, and then there are wins with a humongous difference between the two teams’ performances. And yet, there are controversies. When India and Bangladesh clashed in the quarter-final of ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2015, controversy roared above everything and Cricket Lost!
India Beat Bangladesh by 109 Runs!
Before digging into the controversy, let’s take a look at the most important part of the match- the competition of cricket between the two teams. India made a healthy score of 302 runs for 6 wickets, and in reply to that, Bangladesh could make only 193 runs, losing all of the 10 wickets in 45 overs.
Rohit Sharma Scored His 1st Century in the World Cup!
That century of 137 runs came from 126 balls and had fourteen 4s and three 6s. Suresh Raina scored 65 runs from 57 balls with seven 4s and one 6. On the other hand, Bangladeshi ballers, too, had a moderately healthy performance. Taskin Ahmed picked 3 wickets, whereas Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, and Shakib-Al-Hasan picked one wicket each.
The chase didn’t seem to be that impossible for such a balanced Bangladesh National Cricket Team. But they fumbled, very badly, in front of the Indian balling attack. Only Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain could reach 30 runs. The rest of the team didn’t manage to stay on the pitch confidently enough to add a substantial amount of runs to the scoreboard.
Umesh Yadav picked 4 wickets, whereas Mohammad Shami & Ravindra Jadeja picked 2 wickets each, and Mohit Sharma took 1 wicket. Though the Bangladeshi batsmen batted for 45 overs, they could not score runs. And that’s what led to the defeat.
The Controversy About Rohit Sharma’s Wicket
Rohit Sharma won the ‘Player of The Match’ title in that match for his contribution of 137 runs. But this very inning caused a huge, unprecedented controversy in the world of international cricket, especially in the world of the World Cup cricket tournament. So, what exactly happened?
Bangladesh’s Most Successful World Cup Campaign
Bangladesh had a very successful and promising journey in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup tournament, and they were highly confident of reaching the semi-finals, at least. The team was a very balanced and experienced one compared to their previous campaigns.
The squad included experienced players like Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur, and Mahmudulla, among others, along with youngsters Taskin, Sabbir, and Soumya. In their 1st match, they beat Afghanistan by 105 runs. Against Scotland, Tamim scored 95 runs & Taskin took 3 wickets to beat Scotland by 6 wickets. They beat England by 15 runs when Mahmudullah scored 103 runs, and Rubel took 4 wickets.
They reached the quarter-finals fair & square, high in confidence and motivation. But when a controversial decision by the umpire breathed life into the wicket of Rohit Sharma, things turned sour for the Bangladeshi squad. They ended up losing that match by 109 runs and were out of the tournament.
‘India & Umpires’ Beat Bangladesh Together?
Yes, that’s exactly how it was portrayed all over the media and even in protests. At one of Rubel Hossain’s deliveries, Imrul Kayes caught Rohit in the deep when he was at 90 runs. But leg square umpire Aleem Dar declared the delivery a ‘no-ball,’ saying it was above the waistline. But the replay on the television showed a different view.
“That should have been a wicket. The ball was under the waist.”
- Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne as a commentator of the match
This decision not only gave Rohit a second chance but also took the Indian score to a different level, for except for him, only Raina made a substantial score in that match. That 302-run total was still possible enough to chase, and the Bangladeshi batsmen did come to the field with enough positivity.
Openers Tamim Iqbal & Imrul Kayes made 31 runs in the first six overs, which showed high hope for the team. But their departure in the consecutive balls made the rest of the team lose all hope. Moreover, the very much in-form batsman Mahmudulla was sent back to the pavilion in a confusing catch, and with his departure, the team had given it all up.
If Rohit Sharma were declared out at 90 runs, India’s total would be 255 runs, given that all the other batsmen would perform as they had. Yes, indeed, 255 runs is a much easier target to be chased compared to 302 runs. And maybe, in that case, the Bangladeshi batsmen would perform better, too. But it’s all in the speculations only, with a lot of ‘ifs!
India Reached the Semi-Finals Among Protests & Criticism
“If needed, I will resign from the ICC. Speaking as a fan, it appears to me that it (ICC) has become the Indian Cricket Council. There needs to be an investigation. A result was forced on us today,”
- Former ICC President Mustafa Kamal to a private TV channel
Bangladesh reached the super-eight stage only once in 2007 before this tournament. A controversial decision ended their dream in 2015 when they were in their best form. Social media was stormed in rage, and the match umpire was highly criticized in the Bangladeshi mainstream newspapers and also by many cricket connoisseurs.
Protests erupted on different streets and on the Dhaka University campus, too. Even the effigy of that Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar was burnt. The ICC president for the period of 2014-2015, Mustafa Kamal, a Bangladeshi, also joined the protest against the Pakistani umpire after that match.
There have been many controversies against decision-making in any sport. The protest and all the criticisms happen only because of fans’ love for a particular sport. It’s not that they come out on the streets only to protest. They do that when they are extremely happy, too. But every match comes with a new hope; many of those even create historical records.
The quarter-final match between India and Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2015 has gone into history mostly for all the wrong reasons, yes, but it has made both the players and supporters more attached to the game itself!
