Fifty-six minutes of the Soumya Sarkar show

Soumya Sarkar doesn't quite see the beauty in his strokes. At times on Thursday, he did hold his pose when he drove the ball past the fielder. He would have enjoyed his eight boundaries and six in his 40-ball stay but probably not how it ended. An innings that started with much grace ended when Sarkar was found short of the crease by a Suresh Raina direct hit.

After a promising 54, Sarkar trudged back and the Shere Bangla National Stadium's noise, that had grown louder and louder with each of his eight boundaries and six, was muted abruptly.

But for close to an hour, Sarkar had gripped Mirpur. Every stroke was admirable and it all came by being mindful of the bowlers' shifts in lines and lengths. He was comfortable transferring weight to back and front foot from his balanced stance. Ramrod straight he stands, but the gaps he finds has much to do with suppleness of wrists and a fresh mind.

Sarkar has been part of winning Bangladesh side seven times in his 10 ODIs before this game, so his batting reflects what he has seen so far in international cricket. It makes a difference; just ask Habibul Bashar or Al Sahariar or even Shahriar Nafees. Sarkar is showing Bangladesh what a winning mindset bats like.

His first two boundaries were driven, through mid-off and over cover. His commitment to an aerial shot could put him in trouble but since last December, the upright elbow has looked assured. In the seventh over Bhuvneshwar Kumar's two short balls were dispatched quite easily, before R Ashwin was cover-driven with glee. Soumya's favourite shot is the cover drive and it brought him another boundary-ball, Ashwin slipping one down the leg-side and Sarkar tickling it fine.

At the other end, Tamim Iqbal was batting in a similar gear, which helped the pair add runs quickly. Tamim got most of his boundaries at that stage through an 18-run Umesh Yadav over in which he got three fours - an edge through the slips, a slash past point and a hammer through mid-on - and a six over cover. But you couldn't take your eyes off Sarkar.

He continued being disdainful in his strokeplay by hammering Mohit Sharma over midwicket before launching into his first six, off Ashwin. The ball ended up beyond the midwicket rope but after getting to the pitch of the ball, he could have dumped it anywhere.

In the 14th over, three balls before his dismissal, Sarkar played the finest of upper cuts. You wouldn't have known Sarkar had that shot but he doesn't just look like a batsman pleased with his strokeplay. He found runs wherever India bowled, even if it was wayward.

The run-out wasn't entirely Tamim's fault. He had just dug out a yorker and was falling over in the follow-through, which Sarkar took as a suggestion for a single. Tamim said no quickly, but it was not quick enough. The wicket slowed down Bangladesh, as they lost their way and were momentarily in trouble at 146 for four by the next ten overs. Only an 83-run fifth wicket stand between Shakib Al Hasan and Sabbir Rahman took the home side towards the 300-run mark, their first against India.

What would have happened had Sarkar stayed longer is hard to tell. But it could have meant more entertainment for the Mirpur crowd that was lapping up his boundaries.

Sarkar's languid leg-side shots say what a natural batting talent he is while the off-side tells you that he is not one to let go of opportunities. Down the ground he can be derisive, almost aloof at the way he drives the ball. But 56 minutes wouldn't be enough, not from a batsman who has so much on offer.