Dinesh Karthik played a cameo for the ages as India defeated Bangladesh in a last-ball thriller to lift the Nidahas Trophy in some style at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday evening. When Karthik walked into the middle, India needed a seemingly ungettable 36 off 12 balls. Cool as a cucumber, Karthik smashed his way to an unbeaten 29 off just eight balls, inclusive of a last-ball six, as India achieved the 169-run target to win the tri-nation tournament.

Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front for the second game in succession by scoring a 42-ball 56 to get India going. He was ably supported by KL Rahul and Manish Pandey who scored 24 and 28 respectively. The thunder, though, was stolen by Karthik. He went 6, 4, 6, 0, 2, 4, 1, 6 to leave part-timer Soumya Sarkar inconsolable and captain Shakib Al Hasan stunned and speechless. Simply put, Bangladesh didn’t know what hit them.

Earlier, Sabbir Rahman scored a rollicking 77, off just 50 balls, as Bangladesh finished with 166/8. No other batsman made more than 21 but Bangladesh would have been happy with the fact that they recovered well from a hopeless position (33/3). Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers for India. He picked up 3/18. Washington Sundar continued the good work with figures of 1/20, and he also picked up the Man of the Series award. Jaydev Unadkat also chipped in with two wickets.

Bangladesh must have had a deja-vu moment when they saw Karthik hit the last ball for a six. This was a final that couldn’t get any more thrilling. Right from the start, it was difficult to judge the flow of the game. The pendulum would swing after every few overs. Those quick wickets from the spinners in the first innings suggested that India would dominate proceedings. But Rahman’s knock, studded with seven fours and four sixes, gave Bangladesh enough to play with.

Sharma’s brilliant start again turned the game in India’s favour, but the quick fall of wickets and the slowdown in the run-rate brought Bangladesh right back into the contest. Bangladesh put up a mighty show, but it was Karthik’s temperament that made all the difference. Those eight balls he faced were about power, placement, determination and courage. It just took the game away from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s crumbling top order was an interesting example of attacking batting gone wrong. After the first over, Bangladesh seemed like they were in a good mood to set up a big total on the board. Sundar, however, was a party-pooper for them. His beautiful slow delivery just outside off induced Liton Das to go for the sweep but the ball got the top edge and landed in the safe hands of Suresh Raina. Chahal picked two wickets in his first over. Shardul Thakur pulled off a stunning catch at the edge of boundary at long-on to curb any potential threat from Tamim Iqbal. Soumya Sarkar was the next to follow as he swept the ball straight into Shikhar Dhawan’s hands at square-leg. Bangladesh’s best batsman of the series, Mushfiqur Rahim, misread Chahal’s googly, top-edged it and Vijay Shankar took a good diving catch.

While Bangladesh’s innings was struggling to stabilise, Sabbir Rahman was holding one end up. There was a communication problem between the batsmen as they gave India numerous run-out chances, two of which the Men in Blue capitalised on. Vijay Shankar, the most expensive bowler, didn’t take any wicket, but effected both run-outs (Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan). Mahmudullah (21 runs off 16 balls) and Rahman added 36, the most valuable partnership of the innings.

The penultimate over bowled by Unadkat was the best one of the innings as he gave away just three runs and accounted for two wickets, including that of Rahman. Mehidy Hasan Miraz provided the innings with a strong finish by scoring 18 runs in the last over. India’s decision to bowl first had to be backed by their batsmen. They did so by attacking right from the start. Sharma made his intentions clear in the second over with two humungous sixes and a four off Miraz.

India’s batsmen were looking unstoppable with their approach, but within no time, the scoreboard went from 32 for 0 to 32 for 2. After hitting Shakib for a six on his first ball, Dhawan mistimed his fourth delivery and was caught at mid-on by substitute fielder Ariful. Suresh Raina soon followed him for a duck as he nicked a nothing delivery down the leg and into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. He was adjudged not out initially but Bangladesh reviewed it and got their man.

Rahul joined the captain in the middle and together they added 51 runs. His fall brought Pandey to the middle. Pandey struggled to keep things going. A wicket at this juncture would have brought Bangladesh right into the game and that is what exactly happened. They caught the big fish. Sharma’s hit to Nazmul Islam was caught by Mahmudullah at long-on. The pressure was building, and it was up to Pandey and Shankar to take India home.
Mustafizur Rahman bowled four straight dot balls. Shankar played and missed every one of them. On the fifth delivery, he ran a single off a leg-bye and on the last ball, Pandey fell. This incredible over by Rahman was about to change the game. But in walked Karthik and took Rubel Hossain apart. With 12 runs needed off the final over and with Shankar on strike, India were far from comfortable. It came down to five off two. Shankar tried to clear the ropes, but instead he got caught at long-on. Two fielders got precariously close to each other and the ball even changed hands, but the catch was successfully completed.

The good thing, though, was that Karthik was back on strike. Sarkar bowled a fuller delivery and a powerful shot from Karthik cleared the ropes with ease. India’s unbeaten record over Bangladesh in this format stayed unbeaten.