India’s Hardik Pandya blasted an unbeaten 39 off 16 balls to complete a modest chase and secure a thumping seven-wicket victory with nearly eight overs to spare in the first T20 International against Bangladesh yesterday.
World champions India, having rested several first-choice players, bowled out Bangladesh for 127 and returned to chase down the target in 11.5 overs to grab a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Put in to bat in the series opener in Gwalior, Bangladesh lost both openers early after India’s left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh (3-14) struck twice in his first seven balls.
Touring captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made 27 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 35 not out but Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy (3-31) wrecked their middle order. India lost opener Abhishek Sharma (16) in the second over but Sanju Samson and skipper Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with breezy totals of 29 runs each as the hosts breached the 50-mark in the fifth over.
Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy remained unbeaten on 16 and watched from the other end as Pandya finished the game in style by hitting Taskin Ahmed for three successive boundaries in the 12th over.
With India needing 10 runs, Pandya played a no-look ramp shot than raced to the rope, followed it with a slashed four during which his bat flew towards square leg and then sealed victory with a pulled six.
“We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in the team meeting, we just walked the talk,” said Suryakumar.
“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.” India blanked Bangladesh in the preceding two-Test series.
“In T20s, the first six overs are very important but we didn’t start well,” Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said.
“We need a better plan for the next matches.”
Debutant quick Mayank Yadav – an IPL pace sensation who made heads turn with deliveries of more than 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour, started with a maiden over and then struck in his second to send back Mahmudullah Riyad out for one.
Wickets kept falling and Chakravarthy, who has returned to the team after the 2021 T20 World Cup, struck regular blows with his mystery spin to rattle the opposition middle-order.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz fought hard with an unbeaten 35 but found little support and Arshdeep, named player of the match, ended the innings in 19.5 overs.
Arshdeep, who was the man of the match, said: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Delhi and Hyderabad host the remaining two matches of the series on Wednesday and Saturday respectively.
BRIEF SCORESIndia 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