The seeds were sown in the first match and the crop harvested in the second ODI. Continuing their good performance from the previous match, India beat Bangladesh by 46 runs at the Mirpur stadium in Dhaka to win the three match series, 2-0, with one match remaining. Its not the world cup, but again, after that debacle the team has made a winning start. time for the Indian fan to forget and look ahead.

It was evident from the beginning that the Indians didn’t want to leave it to the third ODI in Chittagong. Dravid won the toss and elected to bat on what appeared to be a slow but batsman friendly wicket. And once again the openers didn’t disappoint. They made a solid 43 runs before again, yes again, Sehwag failed to capitalize on his start and trying to whack another one gave up his wicket. Only god knows now if he will ever know how to value his wicket. India might have to start looking at Robin Uthappa if the Delhi dasher continues his mercurial form.

However the other opener decided to give the selectors a new head ache. Truly aware that failure in this match might mean relegation to the benches in the next match, Gambhir grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Stroking a master full century the young opener cemented his place in the side by reminding every one of his capabilities, making a brilliant 101 runs of just 113 balls. More importantly he solved the problem of the top order getting stuck atleast for the time being. As he played the latter part of his innings with a runner, he showed a whole lot of character to fight the tough conditions and assure India a safe target.

However this wasn’t a perfect batting performance by any means. The middle order wobbled this time as the Bangladeshis fought back, after Dhoni had been dismissed after adding 87 runs with Gambhir. The Indians found it hard to keep up the momentum in the final overs as wickets fell at regular intervals, especially when Gambhir left soon after his century celebrations. Rahul Dravid kept up one end with a fighting 42 as he avoided a total collapse in the slog overs. 285 in 49 overs looked a daunting target.

Bangladesh, inspite of those heroics in the world cup, have yet to attain the tag of consistent performers. The target was never going to be easy and they needed another of those flying starts from Tamim Iqbal. However it was not to be and the young opener only ended up making a mockery of his running skills as he failed to beat Piyush Chawla’s throw from mid-off. And it goes without saying that he heard an earful from the charged up Indians. With the loss of the early wicket, the Bangladeshis tried to rest back the initiative by sending in Aftab Ahmed. Remember him? Probably not, he is the one whose quick runs helped them defeat Australia two seasons ago. They hoped he would provide the same impetus to the faltering chase.

However it wasn’t to be. After a few initial blows, Dravid realized that he had to bring in the slow bowlers sooner than later. And they had an immediate impact. The chasing pack was reduced to 92/5 by the 20th over and the game was as good as over. Habibul Bashar did play a resilient innings along with their wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim henceforth. It was coupled with some lusty hitting by Mashrafe Mortaza, as he hit Dinesh Mongia for 26 runs in an over (including 4 sixes). But it all proved just fireworks as the Indian spinners led by Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh snapped up 5 wickets among them to guarantee India the win.

Things seem to have fallen in place for the Indians as of now. The batting is sorted out with a few minor hiccups here and there, the fielding looked sharp and aggressive and the bowling showed teeth and venom. Especially the young kid Piyush Chawla whose deliveries were sometimes unplayable. A real talent this could be given the right amount of patience and opportunities. Another plus point was that Zaheer found his rhythm as he bowled a good spell at the start to keep the run flow in check. It all bodes well as the Indians have won their first assignment. But its now time to go for the kill before the test series. Waiting for a 3-0 score line.