Suryakumar, Pandya crush Bangladesh in T20I series opener

Hoping to forget the Test series disappointment and start afresh in the T20 series, Bangladesh found that even the shorter format brought no change in their fortune. Despite the change in format and players, Bangladesh's batting woes remained the same. The team was dismissed for a paltry total, which India chased down with ease.

Bangladesh were already marked as the losing side even before the contest began. On Monday, in the first T20 of the three-match series at Gwalior, Bangladesh lost by a massive 7-wicket margin against the hosts.

This marks Bangladesh's 14th defeat out of 15 T20Is played against India. Bangladesh's only T20 win against India came back in 2019 in Delhi. Bangladesh will face the home team in the second T20 on 9 October in Delhi.

After losing the toss and being put to bat, most of Bangladesh's batsmen failed. Only Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who returned to the T20 format after nearly 15 months, and captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto offered some resistance.

However, neither of them could adopt a proper T20 mindset. Bangladesh was bowled out for 127 in 19.5 overs, and they failed to make any impact with the ball either. India's Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya dominated the game, wrapping it up in just 11.5 overs with 49 balls to spare, making it India's fourth-largest victory in terms of balls remaining.

India's chase began with an aggressive start from openers Samson and debutant Abhishek Sharma. They took 10 runs from Shariful Islam's first over and 15 more from Taskin Ahmed's over, bringing India's score to 25 within two overs. Despite this, they soon suffered a setback when Abhishek was run out for 16 off 7 balls after hitting 2 fours and 1 six.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav took the charge at number three and put on a show. He scored 29 off 14 balls, including 2 fours and 3 sixes, before being caught at deep square leg off Mustafizur Rahman's bowling. By the end of the 6th over, India had reached 71 for 2. Samson, who had opened the innings, was dismissed for 29 off 19 balls, striking 6 fours.

Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy completed the chase, putting together an unbeaten 52-run partnership from just 24 balls. Pandya was in fiery form, scoring 39* off 16 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes, while Nitish finished on 16* from 15 balls. Mustafizur and Miraz took a wicket each, while Taskin was the most expensive bowler, conceding 44 runs in 2.5 overs. Mustafizur had an economy of 12.

Earlier, when Bangladesh batted, they lost a wicket in the first over itself. Litton Kumar Das, who scored 4 from 2 balls, was caught off Arshdeep Singh. Parvez Hossain Emon, returning to the side after nearly two years, showed promise but couldn't convert it into a big score. He was dismissed for 8 off 9 balls in the third over, also by Arshdeep.

Captain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy tried to stabilise the innings, putting on a partnership of 26 runs for the third wicket. However, Hridoy was caught at long-on, having scored 12 off 18 balls with 2 fours. Bangladesh was struggling at 40 for 3. The situation worsened when veteran Mahmudullah Riyad, playing his second ball, was caught at deep point after scoring just 1 off 2 balls.

Zaker Ali Anik brought some hope with a massive six but didn't last long either. He was bowled by India's leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy for 8 off 6 balls. Throughout this period, Shanto held his ground. He put on an 18-run partnership with Miraz for the next wicket before being dismissed by Washington Sundar for 27 off 25 balls, with 1 four and 1 six.

At 75 for 6, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain showed some signs of a recovery. They began playing in a more T20-appropriate manner, adding 18 runs in just 11 balls for the seventh wicket. Rishad, after hitting a four and a six, scored 11 off 5 balls before being caught attempting another big shot.

Miraz fought on, remaining unbeaten on 35* off 32 balls, including 3 fours, while Taskin contributed 12 off 13 balls. Arshdeep and Varun took 3 wickets each, while Hardik, debutant Mayank, and Washington took one wicket apiece.