Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 6: A remarkable bowling performance combined with an aggressive batting display led India to a convincing 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I on Sunday in Gwalior.
Chasing a modest target of 128, the newly formed opening partnership of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma wasted no time in adopting an attacking style of play.
Shoriful Islam kicked off the match by mixing his lengths, swinging the ball back into the batters and utilizing slower deliveries for his first three balls. Samson opened the boundary floodgates with a stunning straight drive. He capped off the opening over with another drive that reached the boundary, setting the tone for India’s chase.
The onslaught of boundaries continued in the next over, with Abhishek hitting a six off the first ball and following it up with two fours. However, the barrage was briefly interrupted when the southpaw was run out for 16 runs off 7 balls, coming up short of the crease.
Suryakumar Yadav and Samson then kept the pressure on the Bangladeshi bowlers, forcing them onto the back foot. In the final over of the powerplay, the Indian skipper casually sent the ball sailing over the boundary, seizing every opportunity to maximize the score.
On the next delivery, Mustafizur Rahman’s well-placed length ball sealed Suryakumar’s fate. The versatile batter attempted a swipe, connecting well but sending the ball directly to Jaker Ali at long leg. The Indian skipper’s innings concluded with a score of 29 runs off 14 balls.
Bangladesh fought back as Mehidy Hasan Miraz tempted Samson into playing a false shot, leading to his dismissal for 29 runs off 19 balls.
However, the all-round duo of Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy remained at the crease until the end, effortlessly guiding India to victory. Hardik left Taskin Ahmed stunned with a no-look shot, followed by another boundary on the next ball, marking two consecutive fours. He then struck a six to finish the innings in style, sealing a comprehensive 7-wicket win for India with more than eight overs to spare.
Earlier in the match, after winning the toss, skipper Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl on the black soil pitch, which appeared to favor both pacers and spinners.
Bangladesh opened with Parvez Hossain Emon (8 runs off 9 balls, including 1 six) and Litton Das (4 runs off 2 balls, including 1 four), but they had a disappointing start.
Arshdeep Singh made the first breakthrough of the game, dismissing Emon in the first over. He continued to shine during the powerplay, taking out Parvez Hossain in the seventh over.
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (27 runs off 25 balls, including 1 four and 1 six) attempted to lead a recovery for the visitors, but Washington Sundar sent him back to the pavilion in the 12th over.
The middle-order batters for Bangladesh struggled, with Towhid Hridoy scoring just 12 runs off 18 balls (2 fours), Mahmudullah managing only 1 run off 2 balls, and Jaker Ali contributing 8 runs off 6 balls (1 six).
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the lone standout for the visitors, scoring an unbeaten 35 runs off 32 balls (3 fours), helping Bangladesh reach a total of 127.
Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy excelled with the ball, each claiming three wickets in their respective spells. A notable moment from the first innings was Mayank Yadav taking his maiden international wicket, dismissing Mahmudullah in the 8th over.
Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar also chipped in with one wicket each during their spells.
Brief score: Bangladesh 127 (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 35*, Najmul Hossain Shanto 27, Towhid Hridoy 18; Arshdeep Singh 3/14) vs India 132/3 (Hardik Pandya 39*, Suryakumar Yadav 29; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-7).
Source: Ani news
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