Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina aside, the bowlers continue to drive India’s World Cup charge

There was some mighty impressive batting on display from two of India's batsmen, but it's the bowling that continues to lead their bid to retain the Cricket World Cup, writes Dileep Premachandran.

Umesh Yadav, right, is congratulated by teammates after taking the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim. Yadav took figures of 4-31 during India's quarter-final win over Bangladesh. Andy Brownbill / AP Photo

Given that Bangladesh managed only 193 with the bat, it’s difficult to say conclusively whether it was the turning point. But for a team that had never played at this rarefied level before, it was a crushing blow that seemed to sap them of both focus and self-belief.

India were 196 for 3 after 39.3 overs when it happened. A high full toss from Rubel Hossain that Rohit Sharma, batting on 90, could only shovel awkwardly towards deep midwicket.

But even as the catch was taken and the fielders started to celebrate, both umpires — Ian Gould at the bowler’s end and Aleem Dar at square leg — had signalled a no-ball on height.

Replays subsequently showed that the ball certainly hadn’t been above waist height when Rohit’s bat connected with it.

As shoulders slumped a little, India took a further seven off the over, including a delightful cover drive for four from Suresh Raina.

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“Everyone saw what happened in the middle,” said a downcast Mashrafe Mortaza after the match. “I don’t want to say anything about it.”

India scored 97 from the last ten overs, which meant that Bangladesh had conceded 203 in the second half of the innings after constricting the batsmen so effectively with both pace — Rubel’s first spell was 6-0-14-1 — and spin.

The difference, in a match where there were only three partnerships of 50 or more, was the association between Rohit and Raina, which saw 122 scored off just 95 balls.

Raina smashed the ball over the offside, but was equally effectively clipping it behind square off the pads, while Rohit played imperious shots on either side of the wicket. The pick of them were a pushed straight drive off Mashrafe and a dismissive pull off Taskin Ahmed that sailed for six.

Both men enjoyed some luck too. Rohit was 23 when Nasir Hossain failed to cling on to a low caught-and-bowled chance, while Raina had made just 10 when Gould turned down a vociferous leg-before appeal from Mashrafe.

Bangladesh used their review — India were 147 for 3 at the time — but replays showed the ball pitching the width of a seam stitch outside leg stump. Control ceded, Bangladesh then had to endure a late cameo from Ravindra Jadeja, who smashed 23 off 10 balls to take India to a total that had never been chased down before at the MCG.

What happened afterwards would have delighted MS Dhoni even more. Umesh Yadav was impressive from the off, though the wicket of Tamim Iqbal would be his only reward in a five-over opening burst. Mohammed Shami, who Tamim hit for three fours in an over, came back superbly to dismiss Mahmudullah — centurion against England and New Zealand — and Soumya Sarkar.

Ravichandran Ashwin may have gone wicketless, but the 21 balls that he tormented Shakib Al Hasan — only four singles were taken — ensured that Bangladesh would have to chance their arm against the other bowlers with the asking rate having gone north of nine an over.

Yadav’s pace fetched him the vital wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim, and he then took two in three balls as Bangladesh lost their last four for the addition of just four runs.

It meant that India have now bowled out the opposition in seven straight games, a feat that eluded even the all-conquering Australian sides of 2003 and 2007.

What will worry India’s future opponents is that they have won games so comfortably even when their batsmen haven’t clicked as a unit. Rohit and Raina aside, the highest score in the quarter-final was Shikhar Dhawan’s 30. Virat Kohli, who had made three hundreds in six previous matches against Bangladesh, made just three.

“He’s a player who saves his best for the big games,” said Dhoni with a half-smile when asked about Kohli’s form.

India’s semi-final opponents should be wary.

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