Mirpur: A superb bowling (3 for 23) from veteran Ashish Nehra after Rohit Sharma’s half century (83) helped India beat Bangladesh by 45 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.

Ashish Nehra said that it was a 140-150 track. “But the way Rohit and Hardik batted, they gave us some extra runs to defend. There was something for the bowlers later also if one bowled in the right areas. Once I bowled my first over we were sure that we wouldn't let them score much. I don't mind the kind of pitch we got in Pune, honestly, and the one today was not an up and down pitch. I was upset with myself when I threw my cap.”

Speaking about the win Indian skipper MS Dhoni said that it would've been good to win the toss. “We wanted to see the kind of start and then set a target. It was kind of 55-45 with the toss. Rather than hitting the big shots straight down, it was important to cut and use such shots since they were bowling short of length. Batting fearlessly is Hardik's strength and that's why we want to give him more matches. He's a good fielder too and a useful third seamer.”

“I'll be able to sit tomorrow,” added Dhoni, indicating about his about the back.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said, “We were in the game till the 14th over but after that Rohit took the game away from us. We bowled a lot of slower ones later and the ball was not gripping.”

Man-of-the-match Rohit Sharma said, “It's important for me to start afresh and not look back too much. This is a perfect platform for us before the World Cup. It was unusual to see this kind of wicket in this part of the world. It was always important for one batter to bat as long as possible and I told myself I have to do that. I was focussing on my basics on this kind of the pitch and use the pace of the bowlers. It was a good wicket and the ball was carrying.”