PROVING A POINT: The tenacious Gautam Gambhir's knock laid the foundation for India's big total and helped it beat Bangladesh by 46 runs. — Photo: AFP

DHAKA: Gautam Gambhir made a silent pledge on Friday evening not play across the line. Despite the temptations, he refrained from falling into the trap and his straight bat did all the talking on Saturday.

A century from his willow shut all criticism regarding his approach and also ensured India a series win against Bangladesh with one more match left at Chittagong. India won by 46 runs and at no stage appeared to be under any pressure from the opposition.

There was reason for Gambhir to be delighted. He had longed for a stage where he could once again establish his credentials after having lost direction in a season where he dominated the domestic circuit but success at the international level remained elusive.

Significant stage

This was not really a do or die challenge for the Delhi opener but he knew it was a significant stage in his career. And he grabbed it with the same flair that marked his batting on another hot and humid day.

India's victory was ensured once Gambhir laid the foundation for a total that was beyond Bangladesh's reach. Yet again Virender Sehwag threw away an opportunity to regain form but Gambhir was not to fall prey and allow the situation to dominate.

A chance offered at 95 was a minor aberration in an otherwise flawless performance. The knock brought out the tenacity that Gambhir is known to possess in times of distress.

Aggressive tactics

The match also allowed young Piyush Chawla to justify his selection on this tour. Not the first choice for his zonal squad, he bowled with heart and made a huge impact by adopting aggressive tactics. He chose to attack the batsmen even when they threatened to give him the charge. It was a performance that should do a world of good to Chawla's reputation.

The pitch was not the best for one-day cricket and the ball stopped and changed its pace at times, once proving costly for Yuvraj Singh, who cursed himself for allowing the bowler to fox him.

It was a superbly plotted dismissal by veteran Mohammad Rafique, who tossed the ball, beat the batsman in the air and waited in anticipation for the return catch. It was a moment to cherish for the bowler.

Regal charge

There was another moment that stood out as far as the home supporters were concerned — the regal charge by Aftab Ahmed when he walked out to club Zaheer Khan straight down.

A pity Bangladesh lacked more such motivating moments in the field even though there was some consolation in Mushrafe Bin Mortaza clouting left-arm spinner Dinesh Mongia for four sixes in a row and skipper Habibul Bashar compiling some runs against growing criticism of his poor form with the bat. But then he failed to learn a lesson and was stumped in attempting to repeat a fruitless heave.

It was a forgettable encounter for Bangladesh but not for Gambhir. His second century in 21 one-day internationals was in keeping with his from.

His penchant to drive fetched him runs in a flurry and the `Man of the Match' honour gave his image a boost. Sehwag embraced disaster in his anxiety to play all his shots in a short time but Gambhir chose the wiser path, waiting for the bad deliveries.

Relentless Gambhir

Gambhir was relentless as his hunger for runs grew with the innings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni preferred to play second fiddle to Gambir and it was hardly surprising when the wicketkeeper lapsed in concentration.

The focus was on Gambhir who put the team's interests ahead of his own and guided the Indian innings before he was out in the 39th over. His knock came off 113 balls and contained 11 hits to the fence.

Dravid grafted some crucial runs in the second half of the innings and the contest was as good as over once Bangladesh was presented a target of 285. The lack of experience was evident in the manner in which Bangladesh planned its chase and some desperate strokes only hastened the end.

Aftab's was a brave but futile effort to make a match of it and the performances of Bashar, Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim only created artificial excitement in the galleries. A victory was a distant dream for Bangladesh and it remained one as Chawla spun a web and Yuvraj made up for his batting follies.

SCOREBOARD

India: V. Sehwag c Omar b Rasel 21, G. Gambhir b Rasel 101, M.S. Dhoni c Rahim b Rafique 36, Yuvraj c and b Rafique 24, R. Dravid (not out) 42, D. Mongia c Ra- fique b Razzak 17, D. Karthik lbw b Rafique 6, P. Chawla st. Rahim b Razzak 1, R. Powar lbw b Mortaza 5, Zaheer (not out) 9; Extras: (lb-7, b-1, nb-5, w-9) 22. Total: (for eight wkts. in 49 overs) 284.

Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-130, 3-174, 4-210, 5-239, 6-251, 7-258, 8-273.

Bangladesh bowling: Mortaza 10-0-57-1, Rasel 10-1-49-2, Razzak 10-0-59-2, Saqibul 7-0-40-0, Rafique 10-0-59-3, Aftab 2-0-12-0.

Bangladesh: J. Omar c Karthik b Zaheer 11, Tamim (run out) 7, Aftab b Powar 40, Saqibul c Dhoni b Zaheer 5, M. Ashraful b Chawla 12, H. Bashar st. Dhoni b Chawla 43, M. Rahim c Karthik b Yuvraj 35, M. Mortaza c Sewhag b Yuvraj 42, M. Rafique c sub (Uthappa) b Chawla 13, Abdur Razzak (not out) 9, S. Rasel (not out) 4; Extras: (lb-2, b-4, nb-3, w-8) 17. Total: (for nine wkts. in 49 overs) 238.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-51, 3-60, 4-86, 5-92, 6-151, 7-176, 8-192, 9-230.

India bowling: Zaheer 7-0-32-2, Munaf 7-0-34-0, Chawla 10-0-37-3, Powar 10-1-32-1, Mongia 8-0-57-0, Yuvraj 7-0-40-2.

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