Revenge was never in mind: Mashrafe

Mirpur (Bangladesh), June 19 (IANS) Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is averse to the idea that the clinical win in the first One-Day International (ODI) against India was a revenge for the World Cup quarterfinal defeat.

The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with an emphatic 79-run win over the two-time world champions at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here on Thursday, reports bdnews.24.com.

"Revenge shouldn't exist in sports. We are all humans with families. We all play cricket. The question of revenge can't be considered here," Mashrafe said at the post-match press conference.

Thursday’s meeting was their first after Bangladesh had crashed out of the World Cup, losing to India by 109 runs in the knockout game in Melbourne.

"We definitely fight for victory on the field but that is all I want. Many things may happen during a match but we go to the same hotel together after a match and hang out there," said the skipper.

The latest win took Bangladesh past West Indies to seventh spot in ODI rankings, raising their chances of qualifying for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

"I have said this before that we want to take one match at a time. What pleased me is that specially, the boys gave this match much thought. It went the way we wanted,” said the right-arm fast bowler.

Mashrafe was delighted over his team's performance and hailed their batting approach.

"The openers built our foundation again, the way they played, it is fearless cricket. I am very happy about it. Not just me, the boys, the people of the country, everyone is happy," concluded Mashrafe.