COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Dinesh Karthik smashed a six off the last ball to pull off a stunning four-wicket win for India over Bangladesh in the final of the Independence Cup T20 tri-nation series on Sunday.
Asked to bat first, Bangladesh scored 166-8 in its 20 overs with Sabbir Rahman top scoring with 77 off 50 balls.
India started the chase well but stumbled midway and needed 34 runs off the last two overs when Karthik came out to bat.
Karthik scored 22 runs in the 19th over against seamer Rubel Hossain.
India needed 12 off the last over and Vijay Shankar was dismissed on the fifth delivery, leaving India to score five runs off a single delivery to win. Karthik sent the ball to deep extra-cover to complete the chase.
Bangladesh lost three wickets for 33 when put into bat but Sabbir Rahman held the innings together. He shared partnerships of 35 runs for the fourth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim (9), 36 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah (21) and 29 runs for the sixth wicket with captain Shakib Al Hasan (7).
He was seventh man out, having hit four sixes and seven fours in his innings.
Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-18 in his four overs and left-arm seam bowler Jaydev Unadkat finished with 2-33.
India lost two wickets with the score on 32, before captain Rohit Sharma salvaged the innings .
When Sharma departed for 56 in the 14th over, India was well placed, needing 69 runs to win off 40 deliveries with six wickets in hand. However, Bangladesh bowlers bowled tightly to put the pressure back on India.
Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman used his cutters craftily, conceding just a leg bye and taking a wicket when India needed 35 runs in the last three overs.
But Karthik, who was sent in at No. 7, handled the pressure brilliantly to take India over the line.
Hossain returned 2-35 in four overs despite his 22-run over which effectively cost his team the match.
Sri Lanka was the third team in the tournament.
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(This story has been corrected to show that Dinesh Karthik scored 22 runs in the 19th over, not 18th.)
