Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI)
Team India (IND) continued their good run at home, this time in the T20I format. On Sunday (October 6), the hosts locked horns with Bangladesh (BAN), in Gwalior.
After winning the toss, Skipper Suryakumar Yadav invited Bangladesh to bat first. The visitors had a nightmarish start to their innings as the spearhead pacer, Arshdeep Singh, first removed openers Litton Das and Parvez Hossain Emon during the powerplay stage. Then gave the finishing touch by wrapping the visitors to claim a three-wicket haul (3/14).
While debutant Mayank Yadav sent a chilling warning to the visiting side with his express pace to rattle even the veterans of the game. First, he was right on song from ball one as he bowled a maiden before removing Mahmudullah to claim his maiden international wicket and later on, finished the spell (1/21) on a decent note. Among other notable bowling displays, Varun Chakravarthy, who last played for India in 2021, further dented the hopes of Bangla Tigers, to send half the side back to the hut.
In the process, he bowled an absolute peach to dismiss Jaker Ali. In the end, the willy spinner also claimed a three-wicket (3/31)haul. As a result, Bangladesh could only manage to post 127 runs on the board. In reply, Team India openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma started with brisk scoring. However, a miscommunication while stealing a run meant that Sharma was dismissed while he was looking good.
In came, Captain Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14) and started attacking Bangladesh bowlers in his typical T20 batting style. Before Mustafizur Rahman outfoxed him, India were cruising well at that stage with scores reading 65/2 in just 5.3 overs. Soon after, Samson too threw away his wicket after getting a start. However, another debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy played (16* off 15) sensibly and supported Hardik Pandya well.
Pandya on the other end seemed in an ominous mood and went all guns blazing in his explosive (39* off 16) knock. As a result, the duo stitched an unbeaten partnership of 52 runs for the fourth wicket, to seal the game for the hosts. For his sensational bowling upfront, Arshdeep Singh was adjudged as the Player of the Match. India currently lead the T20I series by 1-0, with the next game set to be played on October 9, in Delhi.
Also Check- IND vs BAN 1st T20I Highlights
Meanwhile, here is what the Captains and the Player of the Match had to say after the conclusion of the first T20I match between India and Bangladesh.
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.”