Chahar posts best T20 figures in India's series win

India seamer Deepak Chahar took a hat-trick and posted the best bowling figures in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) to guide the hosts to a series clinching 30-run win against Bangladesh in the third and final match at Nagpur on Sunday.

Middle-order batsmen Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul struck brisk half centuries to help India post 174-5 in their 20 overs after Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah won the toss and chose to bowl. Iyer smashed 62 off just 33 balls while Rahul made 52 from 35.

In reply, Bangladesh lost top-order batsmen Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar in successive deliveries to Chahar early to get off to a false start in their chase and were finally all out for 144 to go down 2-1 in the series.

Opener Mohammad Naim, who made his international debut during the series, kept Bangladesh in the hunt with 81 off 48 balls, but his dismissal in the 16th over snuffed out the touring side’s chances.

Naim added 98 for the third wicket with Mohammad Mithun, who made 27, before the latter became Chahar’s third wicket of the evening.

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Chahar then dismissed lower-order batsman Shafiul Islam on the last delivery of his third over and returned in his final one to send back tailenders Mustafizur Rahman and Aminul Islam to complete his hat-trick and finish with figures of six wickets for seven runs off 3.2 overs.

His figures broke Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis’ mark of 6-8 against Zimbabwe in 2012 as the best bowling figures in the shortest format of the game.

India’s all-rounder Shivam Dube picked up 3-40, including the prized scalps of Naim and experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.

India’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma, leading the side in the absence of rested Virat Kohli, fell for just two while his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan also did not last long and was out for 19.

Bangladesh medium pacer Shafiul accounted for both the experienced openers and could have also dismissed Iyer for nought if Aminul had managed to hold on to a simple catch.

India have struggled to identify their number four batsman in limited-overs cricket in the last 12 months but Iyer showed he could be the solution to their middle order woes.

He hit five sixes and three fours and stitched together a 59-run stand with Rahul.

Iyer’s stroke-filled knock ended when he holed out to Sarkar, who had minutes earlier dismissed out-of-form Rishabh Pant for six in the same over.

The two sides will next play a two-match Test series, with the first starting at Indore from Thursday.