Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar today admitted that Mahendra Singh
Dhoni was responsible for denying the hosts victory in the opening game of
the three-match one-day cricket series.
Bashar said the dashing wicketkeeper-batsman made all the difference as the visitors
registered a five-wicket win at the Sher e Bangla stadium.
He also complimented Dinesh Kaarthick for his support
to Dhoni during the duo's unfinished 107-run sixth wicket stand that took India
to victory after a mid-innings slump.
"250 was a good total on this wicket, but Dhoni made all
the difference and Kaarthick supported him really well," said the Bangladesh
captain.
Bashar said his team was in with a chance till the end but
the failure to break the Dhoni-Kaarthick partnership cost them the match.
"We were in the match for most of the time. We were waiting
for one wicket when Dhoni and Karthik were batting and we felt that we had a
chance right till the end if we got that wicket," Bashar, who is due to
retire from one-day cricket after the current series, said.
Asked about the Bangladesh fielders squandering some run out
chances, he replied "I think our excitement at being so close to victory
made us miss a few run out chances. We missed one of Kaarthick, which could
have been vital at that stage." He denied that his team had looked defensive
during the Indian run chase, but admitted that pacer Mashrafe Mortaza,
who had to sit out with a lower back pain, was missed.
The Bangladesh skipper, who got out for a duck in the match after having failed
at the World Cup, conceded that he was worried about his batting slump.
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