IND vs BAN 2024: Top 3 Indian players to watch out for in upcoming T20I series

Team India (Source:Twitter)

India and Bangladesh face each other in a three-match T20I series, starting with the first encounter on Sunday, October 6, at the new Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named several youngsters in India’s 15-member squad, most of them who have done well for their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is a rare occurence in Indian cricket where three seam-bowling all-rounders – Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Nitish Kumar Reddy – have been picked in the squad. Also, fans are waiting to see tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav’s international debut after he impressed with his ability to bowl at speeds over 150 kmph during IPL 2024.

Sanju Samson is expected to get three games to stamp his authority as he could open the innings with the flamboyant Abhishek Sharma. Indian fans are anticipating some quickfire starts from the two aggressive batters during the series. Captain Suryakumar Yadav started his tenure as India’s full-time T20I captain with a 3-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka in July. He would want to continue the winning run against the Bangla Tigers as India looks to consolidate their position as the top-ranked T20I side.

Also Check: IND vs BAN Match Prediction – Who will win today’s 1st T20I match between IND vs BAN?

Here are the three Indian players to watch out for in IND vs BAN T20I series 2024:

3. Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma. (Source – Zimbabwe Cricket)

The talented left-hander from Punjab scored a four-ball duck on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe but bounced back with a scintillating century in his second game. Abhishek Sharma failed to retain his spot in the T20I series against Sri Lanka with senior players like Suryakumar and Hardik returning to the side. He would want to showcase his batting prowess against Najmul Hossain Shanto’s men in the upcoming series.

Abhishek is equally destructive against the seamers as well as pacers. The 24-year-old would want to put the Bangladeshi bowlers to the sword from the get-go and get his team off to flying starts inside the powerplay. If Abhishek is on song, he can take the game away from Bangladesh before they can switch to alternative plans.

The Amritsar-born has been lethal with the bat in 2024 as he amassed 484 runs from 16 matches in the IPL and helped Sunrisers Hyderabad reach the finals. He finished the campaign with an awe-inspiring strike rate of 204.22 and fans would be expecting similar fireworks from him against Bangladesh.

2. Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi. (Source – BCCI)

The leg-spinner has been a potent weapon for India in the shortest format of the game, especially in 2024. Ravi Bishnoi didn’t have his best outing in the IPL for Lucknow Super Giants as he managed to pick up just 10 wickets from 14 matches, having an average of 38.30 and an economy rate of 8.77.

However, he bounced back in style during India’s tour of Zimbabwe as he bagged six wickets from five matches at a decent average of 17.67 and a miserly economy rate of 5.58. Bishnoi managed to build on this performance and finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series against Sri Lanka. In three matches, he scalped six wickets at 16.83.

Bangladeshi batters are expected to play spin well but Bishnoi isn’t an orthodox leg-spinner but someone who relies more on his googlies to pick up wickets. He is quick through the air and it is difficult to play him off the pitch. Bishnoi also has the ability to take wickets in clusters and Bangladeshi batters will need to be wary.

Also Check: 1st T20I: India’s strongest predicted playing 11 against Bangladesh

1. Mayank Yadav

Mayank Yadav ( Source : IPL )

There is a lot of hype around Mayank Yadav and it is understandable after his exhilarating performance in IPL 2024. The 22-year-old made his IPL debut against Punjab Kings in Lucknow and impressed fans as well as experts with his pace. He went on to bag three wickets and won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning spell. In the following game, Yadav once again picked up three wickets and won the Player of the Match award.

He could only play four games in the tourament as he had his struggles with injuries. However, he had already made a mark and became a household name in Indian cricket. Yadav clocked a whopping 156.7 kph during an IPL game and fans would hope that he goes past that mark in national colours.

The New Delhi-born might not start immediately as the experienced Arshdeep Singh is likely to take the new ball with Harshit Rana, who was a part of the ODI team in Sri Lanka but didn’t get a game. Hardik could play the role of the third seamer in the line-up. However, if India want to go in with three specialist seamers, Yadav would get the opportunity to impress in the international arena.