Bangladesh celebrated their 100th one-day international in a befitting fashion with a 15-run victory over mighty India at Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) yesterday.

There could not have been a better stage than the BNS for the Tigers to hunt down the World Cup runners-up.

In front of a fanatic 45,000-strong crowd they squared the three-match series 1-1 and more importantly, tasted their first ODI victory on home soil.

It was Bangladesh's only third win against a Test-playing nation after defeating Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup in England and beating Zimbabwe in March this year.

Bangladesh's overall sixth win in one-dayers was shaped by an inspired pace attack and outstanding fielding that dismissed India for 214 in 47.5 overs under lights.

Earlier, Aftab Ahmed's career-best 67 and gritty batting from the tail saw them post 229-9 after being reduced to 88 for five at one stage.

India, who rested four key players including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for the match, still might have thought 230 was not going to bother them too much. But they were given a wake-up call in the very third ball when Virender Sehwag was bowled for a duck by an incoming delivery from pace-ace Mashrafee bin-Mortuza, who was appearing in his first ODI after nearly one and a half years.

Mashrafee's new ball partner Tapash Baisya then removed Yuvraj Singh in the fourth over when the left-hander, who had struck a boundary on the previous ball, slashed the next one straight to Rajin Saleh at cover point to leave India at 5-2.

Captain Sourav Ganguly kept his composure and put on 46 runs with fellow southpaw Sridharan Sriram but veteran campaigner Khaled Mahmud sent Ganguly back in the first ball of the 18th over. Ganguly (22) tried to steer the ball past point but Mashrafee stretched out his hands to hold on to a good catch.

Sriram, who dug in deep to score his maiden one-day 50, was stumped in a bizarre way on 57 (91 balls). Having hit seven boundaries, he missed a delivery from Mohammed Rafique but was still inside the crease when wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud took the bails off. But Sriram then went off-balance and Mashud uprooted a wicket with the ball in his gloves.

With the asking rate climbing towards six an over, Baisya trapped Dinesh Mongia leg before in his second spell while captain Habibul Bashar took an excellent diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Mahendra Dhoni who tried to pull Mashrafee's second ball of a new spell.

With the crowd sensing something memorable in the making, India's last hope Mohammad Kaif departed. On 49, the right-hander who scored a match winning 80 in the last match in Chittagong, tried to take a short single but a diving Rajin Saleh picked the ball at silly mid-on and broke the stumps at the non-striking end with an underarm throw as India slumped to 170-7 after exactly 40 overs.

Ajit Agarkar perished in the next over when he holed out to Aftab at long-on while Zaheer Khan, who contributed ten runs during a threatening 32-run eighth wicket stand with Joginder Sharma (29 not out off 23 balls), was spectacularly caught at widish long-on by a diving Mashrafee.

Aftab saved the best for last. As Kartik tried to steal a single, the 19-year-old Chittagonian picked the ball at point and in one decisive motion, hit the bulls-eye at the bowlers end and the never-ending party began in earnest.

The man of the match award went to Mashrafee for his blazing 31 not out, two wickets for 36 and two fine catches.