India showcased their skills in a dominant seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Gwalior on Sunday. With standout performances from Arshdeep Singh and Varun CV, who each took three wickets, Bangladesh was bowled out for just 127 runs. India chased down the target with ease, finishing the match in only 11.5 overs.
After winning the toss, Suryakumar Yadav chose to chase, but Bangladesh struggled from the start. In the very first over, Litton Das was caught out by Rinku Singh after a top-edge off Arshdeep Singh’s delivery. Debutant Pervez Hossein Emon hit a six off Hardik Pandya, providing a brief moment of hope, but he soon fell to Arshdeep as well.
Mayank Yadav made his debut and started strong with a maiden over. Varun CV, playing his first T20I match in 86 games, took advantage of the pressure by claiming Towhid Hridoy’s wicket. Mayank continued to impress, taking his first T20I wicket by dismissing Mahmudullah in his second over.
Bangladesh’s innings fell apart as wickets continued to tumble. Varun cleaned up Jaker Ali with a clever googly, marking his return to the team with impressive figures of 3/31. Mehidy Hasan Miraz managed to help Bangladesh pass the 100-run mark, but a crucial double-wicket over in the 18th over kept them from building momentum. Mayank wrapped up his debut with a solid 19th over, while Arshdeep finished with 3/14 after taking out Mustafizur Rahman.
In reply, India’s batting was explosive from the start. Sanju Samson got things going with a beautiful drive, and Abhishek Sharma hit a straight six off Taskin Ahmed. Despite losing Abhishek to a run-out in the second over, India had already scored 15 runs. Suryakumar Yadav then showcased his unique batting style with a couple of sixes, repeatedly targeting the area behind square. Though he was out in the sixth over, India finished the PowerPlay with an impressive score of 71/2, their highest ever against Bangladesh in T20Is.
Samson fell soon after, but India maintained their momentum, reaching 106/3 at the halfway point. Hardik Pandya delivered the shot of the match with a no-look ramp for four, followed by another four and a six to seal the victory, ending with an unbeaten 39 runs off just 16 balls.
Summary:
Bangladesh: 127 all out in 20 overs (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 35; Arshdeep Singh 3-14, Varun CV 3-31)
India: 132/3 in 11.5 overs (Hardik Pandya 39, Suryakumar Yadav 29; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-7)
Result: India won by 7 wickets.
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