Rohits 83 lifts India to 166 6 against Banglad

DHAKA: Rohit Sharma’s 55-ball 83 and late surge from Hardik Pandya steered India to a good total of 166 for six against Bangladesh in the inaugural Twenty20 match of the Asia Cup 2016 here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.Sent into bat by Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, India made a disastrous start losing three wickets for 42 but Rohit, who opened the innings batted superbly and took his team out of trouble.Later Pandya slogged an 18-ball 31 with a six and four boundaries. Rohit also struck seven fours and three sixes.Among others, only Yuvraj Singh (15) and Suresh Raina (13) could get into the double figures while captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni, who played only the last two balls, hit eight runs including a six.Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were dismissed cheaply for two and eight, respectively.Pacer Al-Amin Hossain was the most successful bowler for the hosts, capturing three wickets for 37 while Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan claimed one wicket each.Before the match began, Dhoni passed a fitness test to remain in charge of his team. Hewho had suffered a back spasm during a practice session on Monday,Bangladesh left out Arafat Sunny, Nasir Hossain, Nurul Hasan and Abu Hider from their 15-man squad.Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pawan Negi, Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel were not playing for India.”