Mehidy Hasan Miraz looked spent after R Ashwin smashed him for a six and two fours. Those hits turned out to be the last of the Dhaka Test and he was visibly dejected as he collected his cap from the umpire.
Mehidy was the one who turned this game into a contest, picking up 5 for 63, but for the first time in his career, this combative Bangladesh offspinner was defeated after picking up a fourth-innings five-for.
He had bowled 18 overs straight, across two days, and was taken out of the attack only when Shakib Al Hasan realised he had to get a bit more creative to break the eight-wicket stand between Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer. When Mehidy came back, instead of creating one more chance, he was at the receiving end of the boundary that signalled India's narrowest win over Bangladesh in Test history.
Mehidy looked crestfallen. Shreyas, with whom he had battled all through the series, saw that and tapped the bowler on his chest as if to say, 'don't feel so bad, man. You gave it absolutely everything.' It was a nice touch. Mehidy got a long hug from Rishabh Pant too, whom he dismissed three times in two matches. And a gift from the man he bested on the third evening to set the alarm bells ringing, Virat Kohli presenting the offspinner with an autographed ODI jersey.
Barring this one over, India's tour has been one to remember for Mehidy. His all-round showing in the ODIs, particularly his batting bailing Bangladesh out twice, was a sign of growth and perhaps of even better things to come. And here, in Dhaka, Mehidy was always going to be key to Shakib's plans regardless of the target Bangladesh would set for India in the fourth innings. He grabbed three wickets on the third evening, and got two more on the fourth morning, including that of Pant. He had done more than enough but just couldn't finish India off.
Speaking on the third evening, Litton Das said that Mehidy was at the top of his game in both white- and red-ball formats, proving himself to be a key player in the Bangladesh set-up.
"He was always good in bowling, and now he is improving in his batting," Litton said. "He got a hundred before me [in this series], so we have to praise him. He is a good allrounder in our team. The first match was difficult for us, as we had to switch from white to red ball in two [four] days. It was tough for them too. The same for bowlers, who have to bowl for a long time. I had a tough time to switch between the two, too. I always rate Miraz as a key player."
It was an interesting time for Litton too, who led Bangladesh in the ODIs in the absence of the injured Tamim Iqbal. Litton's innings against India in the T20 World Cup showed how far he had come as a batter. He went through a bit of a lean patch in the ODIs, but his captaincy stood out in that he chose not to do it alone. It was a small but significant gesture given the Bangladesh dressing room culture, where the senior-junior divide is strong.
