In the first ODI of the three-match series between Bangladesh and India, Litton Das took a stunning catch to send an awestruck Virat Kohli back.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled Shikhar Dhawan (7) after Bangladesh opted to bowl at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. India were 23-1 at this stage, but captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli, back in the side after opting out of the New Zealand tour earlier this month, led a resurrection.

Shakib Al Hasan came on to bowl the 10th over of the match. His first ball, from around the wicket, came straight into Rohit, who pushed it back to Shakib.

Shakib followed it with the arm ball. Rohit (27), perhaps due to the presence of a fielder at slip, assumed the ball would turn away from him, and played accordingly. Instead, it went through his defence and crashed on to the stumps. Shreyas Iyer pushed the next ball for a single.

Shakib flighted the next ball more than his first three. That perhaps forced Kohli into playing the ball a tad sooner than he would ideally have, without reaching the pitch of the ball. He still played it well, but the shot went uppishly, well clear of Litton Das at extra-cover.

Earlier this day, Das became the 15th man to lead Bangladesh in ODI cricket. Having relinquished the gloves to Mushfiqur Rahim, he had placed himself at one of Kohli’s favourite scoring areas. Now he flung himself full-length to his right to catch the ball one-handed out of thin air to come up with what can safely be called one of the best catches of the year.

Given the enormous, near-inexplicable fanbase of Argentina in Bangladesh (the Argentinians have reciprocated), a Damián Emiliano Martínez influence cannot really be ruled out.

The catch left Kohli – one of the best fielders in the world – shocked for a moment, revoking memories of his dismissal against Adil Rashid in 2018. He left for nine, his sixth consecutive ODI score below 20. At the time of writing, India are 92-4 in 20 overs, having lost Iyer for 24.

 

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