New-look India blow away Bangladesh to take 1-0 lead

India 132 for 3 (Mehidy 35, Arshdeep 3-14, Varun 3-31) beat Bangladesh 127 (Hardik 39, Suryakumar 29, Samson 29, Mehidy 1-7) by seven wickets

A young Indian side outgunned an experienced Bangladesh to start off the three-T20I series. Two debutants in their XI, only three men retained from the side that won the T20 World Cup earlier this year, but India were too good for Bangladesh, who wore the same look of the side from the World Cup.

From the moment they lost Litton Das to a slog in the first over, Bangladesh never really looked like they had the batting for the Gwalior pitch with slightly uneven bounce and an accurate Indian attack. After Arshdeep Singh’s early strikes, Mayank Yadav started his international career with a maiden over before the returning Varun Chakravarthy scythed through the middle overs. Chasing a paltry 128, a dominant India got home with 49 balls to spare.

Arshdeep on the money

Leader of the attack, fast approaching the top of wickets chart for India, Arshdeep started on the money with just enough swing to keep the young Parvez Hossain Emon, one of the few new players tried by Bangladesh, honest. Das then opened the face for a four first ball, which led to short third going back and a fielder on the leg side coming up. He looked to play the field second ball only to be defeated by the angle of it. In his second over, Arshdeep had Parvez, who had whipped Hardik Pandya for a six, playing on. Bangladesh 14 for 2 in 2.1 overs.

Pace and mystery

Already behind the game, the combination of Mayank and Varun, high pace and mystery spin, was hardly the ideal one to force the pace against. Bangladesh’s only hope was ring rust: this was the first time Mayank was playing any competitive cricket since his injury during the IPL, and Varun was coming back to the India XI after three years. Neither of them was rusty.

Varun created an opportunity second ball, but the other debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy lost the ball in the floodlights of the debuting stadium in Gwalior. Mayank bowled the last over of the powerplay, becoming the third man to start his India T20I career with a maiden. The other two are the current chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, who has fast-tracked Mayank, and Arshdeep.

Soon the duo was rewarded with a wicket each. Towhid Hridoy, the beneficiary of the earlier drop, pulled Varun straight to long-on, and Mahmudullah spooned Mayank to deep point. They really didn’t have many options but to play these low-percentage shots as the runs were hardly coming.

Varun continued to be incomprehensible, doing Jaker Ali in on the inside edge and Rishad Hossain on the outside.

No kick at the death

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was forced to play the anchor role, but even he fell to the introduction of the offspin of Washington Sundar, who denied him room and had him caught and bowled. Mehidy hasan Miraz prolonged the innings, but there was no impact to be had against the accuracy of Arshdeep, Pandya and Mayank at the death.

None of the last seven overs yielded double figures as the wickets kept falling. Arshdeep ended the innings with the off and middle stumps splayed with a pinpoint yorker. He is now India’s fifth-most prolific T20I wicket-taker with 86 scalps, hot on the heels of the leader Yuzvendra Chahal at 96.

India end it in a hurry

The hosts were not going to be satisfied with just a win. They wanted a big win. Sanju Samson, with another shot at opening the innings in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, got off to a great start with two boundaries driven either side of the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Abhishek Sharma was less touch and more power as he took Taskin Ahmed down for a six and two fours in the second over. Almost as though he was on an adrenalin rush, he ran himself out looking for a non-existent single.

India, though, continued to leave Bangladesh helpless. Samson kept driving down the ground while Suryakumar Yadav manufactured shots behind the wicket. The result was India’s best powerplay against Bangladesh in T20Is: 71, which is just the fourth-highest they have conceded in powerplays. His dismissal in the final over of the powerplay didn’t slow India down although Samson will be disappointed he fell to a hoick the first ball of offspin he faced. Both of them scored quick 29s.

Pandya, 39 off 16, continued to have his way with Bangladesh, topping the chase with a no-look ramp over the keeper’s head.