India vs Bangladesh: Captain Rohit Sharma sent a stern message to batting unit following loss in 1st ODI

Mirpur, Dec 4: India batters' tribulations to play spinners on a tricky surface were exposed as they failed to post a decent total on the board against Bangladesh in the opening ODI here in Mirpur which the latter won by a slender 1-wicket margin. Captain Rohit Sharma mixed no words in conveying the message to the batting unit, which needs remarkable improvement to prevail on tacky tracks.

Bangladesh's 10th wicket pair of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman scripted an unbelievable turnaround with a 51-run stand that saw the hosts overhaul the target of 187 in 46 overs.

However, it was left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan (5 wickets) and off-spinner Miraz (1 wicket), who troubled Indian batters the most in their innings. The visitors found it difficult to negotiate the slow bowlers on a track that had turn and bounce.

No excuses: Rohit to batters

"The pitch was a bit challenging, the odd ball was turning. You have to understand how to play. There are no excuses, we are used to such types of conditions," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"We need to look at how to bat against their spinners in these conditions. The genes are there, these guys grew up playing in such conditions. It is all about handling pressure," the visiting captain added further.

Not enough runs on the board: Rohit

While the last wicket pair pulled off a heist after being 136 for 9 in the 40th over, Rohit didn't run away from the core problem and that is inept batting. "It wasn't enough runs. Another 30-40 runs would have made a difference. With KL and Washy, we could have got there. Unfortunately, we lost wickets in the middle, and it is not easy to make a comeback," the Indian captain said.

'Did well to script a comeback in a low-scoring game'

He did praise his bowlers despite an indifferent last 30 minutes. "It was a very close game. We did very well to come back into the game. We did not bat well. We bowled pretty well and kept them under pressure till the end. They held their nerves at the back end.

"If you look back at how we bowled, of course, the last few overs where we would have liked to get a wicket, we kept taking wickets all through," the skipper looked at the positives.

The next match is also at Mirpur and Rohit is hoping for a better show. "I am sure these guys will learn and we look forward to the next game. Hopefully, we can change things around. We know exactly what we need to do in these conditions," he said.