India book semi-final berth

India qualified for a World Twenty20 semi-final berth on the back of a convincing eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in Friday's Group 2 fixture at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka.

India qualified for a World Twenty20 semi-final berth on the back of a convincing eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in Friday's Group 2 fixture at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka.

The result, too, all but ruled the hosts and Australia out of contention for a spot in the next stage. Neither team have won a match in the tournament yet.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl first after winning the toss promised much – and duly delivered. The Tigers were restricted to a poor total of 138 for seven, with India later hardly troubled in surpassing the target with all of nine deliveries to spare.

Opener Anamul Haque's commanding 44, which featured a quintet of boundaries and twin sixes, was Bangladesh's top score. All-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah, meanwhile, weighed in with a complementary 33 not out.

Batsmen Tamim Iqbal, Shamsur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan, meanwhile, managed just seven runs between them. This collective failure severely damaged any ambition pointed toward a competitive final tally.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra's fine stretch of form continued en route to telling figures of three for 26 across four testing overs. Fellow slow bowler Ravichandran Ashwin was named Man of the Match after securing two for 15. His removal of Iqbal and Rahman in consecutive deliveries was very key.

The talented Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, true too form, were remarkably at ease in pursuit of an admittedly small number. Kohli scored 57 not out to Sharma's 56, with the duo gathering eight boundaries and two sixes.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan was earlier undone by fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain, who afforded the losing side some consolation. Plenty of questions hung over the selection of Ziaur Rahman, who endured a duck and proved expensive.

The Indians will meet the Australians at the same venue on Sunday, while Bangladesh will clash with Pakistan.

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