India thrash Bangladesh: Watch out Pakistan, the champions are coming for you

India watched Pakistan thump England in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy and decided, what our rivals can do, we can do better. On a flat as a pancake wicket at Edgbaston, the India bowlers did quite brilliantly to restrict Bangladesh to 264, before ruthlessly chasing down the score to cruise into the final.

The India vs Pakistan final is a reality now, ten years after the last final between these two teams in a major ICC tournament, with India looking in the mood to defend the Champions Trophy title they won four years ago.

Once Virat Kohli won the toss on a gloomy morning in Birmingham and decided to bowl first, this match looked like going only one way.

Bangladesh, though, brought some sunshine with them for a good while – 21 overs to be exact – giving India a lot to worry about.

Tamim Iqbal, struggling at the crease and finding it difficult to get the India seamers, who bowled really tight lines, not giving any room to the left-hander, away, was given a reprieve when Hardik Pandya overstepped off the ball that saw the Bangladesh batsman play one onto his stumps, and that reprieve proved to be the turning point in a partnership that brought out quite a few worry lines on Kohli's face.

The Bangladesh opener was able to get the free hit that followed that no-ball for a boundary and suddenly he found his timing. Mushfiqur Rahim barely put a foot wrong at the other end, and the two put Bangladesh in cruise mode, putting on 123 runs together at nearly run-a-ball.

At 154/2 in the 28^th over, Bangladesh were on course for 320 and more, a score that would have tested India, considering this is a semifinal of a major tournament – in hindsight, the way India batted, even 320 would not have been enough, but at least that would have been competitive.

However, Kedar Jadhav, with his golden arm, and Ravindra Jadeja turned the game around in India's favour with three quick wickets, and Bangladesh finished on a below par score.

A total of 264 was still substantial, though, considering the magnitude of the game, but India went in to bat determined to make a statement.

Rohit Sharma was silky smooth with his square-drives and pull shots.

Shikhar Dhawan was a joy to watch, spanking those shots through the offside and even smashing a huge six over square-leg.

Virat Kohli was Virat Kohli – jaw-droppingly good. Despite making a couple of half-centuries already in this Champions Trophy, Kohli, who with this innings became the fastest player ever to 8,000 ODI runs, has not quite been at his absolute best; that timing hasn't been at a 100 per cent.

This innings, though, was vintage Kohli. The timing was perfect, and some of the cover drives that he sent racing along that beautiful Edgbaston outfield was worth the price of admission on its own.

It was almost as if this chase from India was a message to Pakistan – we're ready, we're primed to go and there ain't no way we're letting go of that CT title.

Fans celebrate Virat Kohli's half-century