15 September,2023 06:41 PM IST | Colombo | mid-day online correspondent
Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)
Much like his brilliance with the willow, former captain Virat Kohli leaves no stone unturned to keep fans entertained with his varied on-field antics. Kohli has been rested in a dead rubber clash against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super 4 clash.
India made wholesale changes to their playing XI, resting Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, besides Kohli. Tilak Varma was handed ODI debut while Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Suryakumar Yadav were also drafted in for their inconsequential match in Colombo.
Following the dismissal of Anamul Haque, Kohli ran down the ground, in a rather awkward manner, carrying drinks for his teammates. Watch the video here:
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Coming to the match, captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field against Bangladesh in their final Super Four stage match of the tournament. Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy exploited the reduced firepower in India's bowling attack to score half-centuries and guide Bangladesh to a healthy 265 for eight. Shakib played an innings that suited a captain, scoring 80 off 85 balls and Hridoy supported him with a stubborn 81-ball 54, after India put them to bat.
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In the context of the tournament, the match did not carry much significance as India have already qualified for the final. They will face Sri Lanka in the summit clash on Sunday. Hence on the periphery, it made sense that India rested five first-choice players on Friday.
It also gave India a chance to hand an ODI debut to the remaining players in the fray. But in the larger scheme of things, India achieved two goals. The performance was just enough to send a message to Sri Lanka about their readiness for the big day.
(With agency inputs)