Ishan Kishan clobbers 210 off 131 balls, Virat Kohli hits 113 as India post mammoth 409/8 in 3rd ODI vs Bangladesh 

Ishan Kishan smashed the fastest ODI double hundred in men’s cricket as Team India posted a mammoth 409/8 in the third and final match of the series against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Saturday, December 10. Sent in to bat after losing the toss in the dead rubber, India pulverized the Bangladesh bowlers, with Kishan leading the way.

The southpaw reached his double hundred off only 126 balls, beating the previous record for the fastest 200 in men’s ODI cricket that was held by Chris Gayle (138 balls). With his batting exploits on Saturday, Kishan also became the fourth Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma to score a double hundred in ODIs.

In a fabulous knock that featured 24 fours and 10 sixes, the 24-year-old Jharkhand batter ended up scoring 210 off 131 balls. Over the course of his unforgettable innings that, at times, seemed like a highlight package, Kishan featured in a massive 290-run stand for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (113 off 91 balls). The latter himself brought up his first three-figure score in ODIs since August 2019.

After India were invited to bat, Kishan walked out to open with Shikhar Dhawan as skipper Rohit Shama was ruled out due to a thumb injury. There was no change in fortunes for Dhawan. His horrendous run continued as he was trapped lbw for three off eight balls by India’s nemesis in the series - Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

There was no joy for Bangladesh after that as Kishan and Kohli held the fort for a while before the former went absolutely berserk, slamming fours and sixes at will. Things could have been different had Bangladesh captain Litton Das, at short midwicket, held on to a simple catch offered by Kohli off Mehidy’s bowling in the seventh over of the innings.

Kishan went after Ebadot Hossain in the 12th over, clubbing him for two fours and a six. He did not look back after that. He reached three figures by sweeping the first ball of the 24th over from Afif Hossain for a four.

There was a procession of fours and sixes as the hungry youngster raced to 150 off 103 balls with a maximum off Mehidy in the 28th over. At the other end, Kohli quietly sneaked past his half-century, content to play the anchor role, much like he does when Suryakumar Yadav is in full flow.

At the end of 30 overs, Kishan was batting on 179. A double hundred was there for the taking and, to his credit, the batter ensured he did not miss out. He got there off the last ball of the 35th over, digging out a yorker from Mustafizur Rahman and placing it towards point for a single.

A couple more big hits followed off Taskin Ahmed’s bowling, before the left-hander fell to the Bangladesh pacer, searching for another boundary.

Shreyas Iyer perished cheaply for three, slicing a catch off Hossain to short cover. However, Kohli went on to bring up his much-awaited ODI hundred in style, clipping the pacer for a maximum over short fine leg.

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Lower order takes India past 400 after Kishan-Kohli heroics

Looking for quick runs at the death, India lost skipper KL Rahul (eight) and Kohli in quick succession. Rahul was bowled by a yorker from Hossain, while Kohli’s fine knock ended when miscued Shakib Al Hasan towards long-off.

Washington Sundar (37 off 27) and Axar Patel (20 off 17) played good cameos to ensure Team India crossed the 400-run mark, reaching their fourth-highest total in ODIs.

Bangladesh’s bowling figure made for sorry reading. Taskin went for 89 in nine and Hossain for 80. Even Mehidy was taken for 76 in his 10 overs.