India pass opening test; ward off Bangladesh threat

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India avenge 2007 World Cup loss to Bangladesh with a 25-run victory in their World Twenty20 opener at Trent Bridge

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India avenge 2007 World Cup loss to Bangladesh with a 25-run victory in their World Twenty20 opener at Trent Bridge

India got off to a winning start in their ICC World Twenty20 campaign on Saturday.

Going, going, gone... Yuvraj Singh's 18-ball 41, which included four sixes, gave the much-needed impetus to India's innings in their World Twenty20 opener against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday.

At Trent Bridge, India restricted Bangladesh to 155 for eight after scoring 180-5.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was the best bowler for India, with four wickets for 21 runs in his four overs.

Ojha was well supported by some quicksilver fielding from the defending champions. Although Yuvraj Singh dropped a sitter, he took a stunner to send Mahmudullah back to the pavilion.u00a0u00a0u00a0

AFP adds: Earlier, Gautam Gambhir hit 50 and Yuvraju00a0 cracked a blistering 41 off 18 balls as India scored 180-5 off their allotted 20 overs.

Left-handed Gambhir, who began by cutting the second ball of the match from Mashrafe Mortaza for a boundary, held steady for 17 overs after India won the toss and elected to take first strike.

But it was the other left-hander Yuvraj who set Trent Bridge alight with three boundaries and four sixes in a knock that included 19 runs in the 17th over bowled by off-spinner Naeem Islam.

Yuvraj's blitz helped India plunder 59 runs in the last four overs to set Bangladesh a victory target of just over nine runs an over in the opening group A match.

from south africa to england! Pragyan Ojhau00a0 (right) carried on his excellent form in the Indian Premier League with a spell of 4-0-21-4. Ojha was part of the victorious Deccan Chargers squad. pics/ap

Naeem was Bangladesh's most successful bowler with two wickets, but left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan shone with 1-24 from his four overs.

Rohit Sharma put on 59 for the first wicket with Gambhir by the eighth over when he was bowled by Shakib for 36 after surviving a stumping chance off the previous delivery.

Sharma, who opened the innings in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, smashed three boundaries and two sixes during his 23-ball innings.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) helped Gambhir add 53 for the second wicket, but when he was bowled by Naeem in the 15th over, India only had 112 runs on the board.

Brief Scores
India 180-5 in 20 overs (G Gambhir 50, Yuvraj Singh 41, R Sharma 36; N Islam 2-32) beat Bangladesh 155-8 in 20 overs (J Siddique 41, N Islam 28; P Ojha 4-21, I Sharma 2-34, Zaheer Khan 1-26, Y Pathan 1-26)