This time, in the T20I format, Team India (IND) carried on their winning streak at home. In Gwalior on Sunday, October 6, the hosts and Bangladesh (BAN) engaged in combat.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav invited Bangladesh to bat first after winning the toss. Arshdeep Singh, the main bowler, gave the visitors a nightmare start to their innings by dismissing openers Litton Das and Parvez Hossain Emon in the powerplay phase. then completed the task by wrapping the opposition to secure a three-wicket victory (3/14).
However, Mayank Yadav, making his debut, gave the visiting team a terrifying warning with his quick pace, which even the seasoned players found unsettling. He was firstly spot on from the first ball, bowling a maiden, and then he removed Mahmudullah to secure his first international wicket. He then concluded the spell (1/21) with a respectable performance. Varun Chakravarthy, who last played for India in 2021, among other outstanding bowling performances, further crushed the hopes of the Bangla Tigers, sending half the team back to the hut.
He then dismissed Jaker Ali with a bowl that was an absolute peach. The skilful spinner eventually claimed a three-wicket (3/31) haul as well. Bangladesh could only muster 127 runs on the board as a result. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, the opening batsmen for Team India, responded with quick goals. Nevertheless, Sharma was fired while he was looking excellent due to a misunderstanding that occurred during swiping a run.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14) arrived and immediately attacked the Bangladeshi bowlers with his trademark T20 batting approach. With scores of 65/2 in just 5.3 overs, India was coasting at the time before Mustafizur Rahman outfoxed him. Soon after receiving a start, Samson also gave away his wicket. But Nitish Kumar Reddy, another rookie, played intelligently (16* off 15) and provided good support for Hardik Pandya.
Pandya, on the other hand, appeared to be in a foreboding frame of mind and unleashed an explosive (39* off 16) hit. In order to secure the victory for the home team, the pair stitched together an undefeated partnership of 52 runs for the fourth wicket. Arshdeep Singh was declared the Player of the Match for his outstanding forward bowling. The T20I series is presently 1-0 in favour of India; the next match is scheduled for October 9 in Delhi.
Also Read: Aakash Chopra decodes Sanju Samson’s problem and expects him to fire in Bangladesh’s T20Is
Following the end of India’s first T20I match against Bangladesh, below are the Captains’ and Player of the Match’s comments.
Losing skipper, Najmul Hossain Shanto
“We didn’t start well. In T20s, the first six overs are very important but we didn’t start well. The plan was to play positive cricket and play with intent from the first ball but we had to manage some overs. We need a better plan for the next matches. If we had some wickets in hand, we could have scored 10-15 runs more. Bowling-wise, we didn’t have enough runs on the board. Very hard for the bowlers on a pitch like this. We needed more runs. But I think Rishad bowled well and Fizz as well.”
Winning skipper, Suryakumar Yadav
“We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in the team meeting, we just walked the talk. The way the guys showed their character on the field, first time playing on a new ground, and the way we batted, showed our character. [On the debutants] Very excited and looking forward to seeing them in the next games. It’s a good headache to have when you are on the field when you have extra bowling options. You always learn something new playing every game. There will be a few areas to improve, we’ll sit down and talk about it before the next game.”
Player of the Match, Arshdeep Singh
“There was some breeze from the side I was bowling so I used that. I didn’t get the wickets the way I wanted but that’s okay. It’s just minor changes in the run-up, in the wrist. It’s just exploring how I can get better and trying out things. The experience is there. The more you play, the better you get. Really excited the way everyone bowled, especially Mayank. Even my normal balls felt like slower balls compared to his pace. In this format the best thing you can do is adapt to different pitches and conditions.”
India
