3 areas of concern for India following their T20I series win over Bangladesh ft. Washington Sundar's role
Team India sealed a comprehensive 3-0 whitewash over Bangladesh on Saturday, October 12. They thrashed the Tigers by 133 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to extend their winning run in the format.
On the whole, it was a positive series for India. Several young players, including Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav, had productive outings. Senior men like Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya impressed as well.
However, it wasn't a perfect set of displays from the Men in Blue. A few promising players were off the pace, while others weren't used in their best roles. As a result, the team now have a few pressing questions to answer.
On that note, here are three areas of concern for India following their T20I series win over Bangladesh.
#3 Washington Sundar spent the entire series not doing much
Throughout the three T20Is against Bangladesh, Washington Sundar faced one ball and bowled four overs. Batting at No. 8 and being used as a sixth bowler, the young all-rounder was barely involved despite claiming a Player of the Series award earlier this year.
What is Sundar's role in the T20I team going forward? India have part-time spin options in the form of Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma, while his hitting hasn't developed enough for him to be used in the top seven.
It was puzzling to see Sundar bowl just one over and bat just one ball in the third T20I when the tried-and-tested stars were in the thick of things. He wasn't even used when Bangladesh had two left-handers at the crease, which happened frequently.
Now, India might not have an answer when asked about the all-rounder's purpose in the team.
#2 Harshit Rana's debut was potentially delayed by a bout of illness
The third T20I in Hyderabad seemed to be a chance for Harshit Rana to make his international debut. Although Arshdeep Singh was rested, Ravi Bishnoi was picked in the left-arm seamer's place.
The BCCI later confirmed that Rana wasn't available for selection due to a viral infection, taking away the Indian team's chance to field a talented young pacer and build towards the future. While the Kolkata Knight Riders will be delighted, with the opportunity to retain Rana as an uncapped player opening up, the national team is worse off.
India's pace reserves are depleted right now, and Rana needs to be brought into the mix early. He has been picked as a traveling reserve for the New Zealand Tests, but giving him a taste of a relatively low-profile series would've been a positive outcome for all parties involved.
#1 Abhishek Sharma didn't grab his chances with both hands
With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rested Abhishek Sharma had an excellent chance to stake a claim for a spot in the T20I side. Unfortunately for India who are on the lookout for the ideal opening pair to take over from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the answers to those questions didn't become any clearer.
Abhishek got off to starts against Bangladesh, but he didn't convert any of them. While the left-hander was run out in the series opener, he was castled while playing an ugly hoick in the second T20I. Even on a belter at his favorite Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, he missed out after mistiming a short ball.
The opening slots are still a bit of a concern for India. While Jaiswal is virtually nailed down and Samson did his case a world of good, Abhishek's failures will concern the Men in Blue.