3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Bangladesh 2024 T20I series
India will clash with Bangladesh in the first fixture of the three-match T20I series at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior on Sunday (October 6). The first game will set the tone for the rest of the series for both teams.
International cricket returns to Gwalior after 14 years. The last game played in the city witnessed Sachin Tendulkar scoring a first-ever double century in ODIs. However, the game will be played at a newly built stadium, which will host its first international contest.
Although, the Madhya Pradesh Premier League saw a truckload of runs being scored at the venue, it will be interesting to see how the surface behaves for this game.
Hence, none of the teams have an advantage ahead of this fixture, which presents some interesting player battles. On that note, let's take a look at the few matchups which could shape up this game and the bilateral series.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav vs Mustafizur Rahman
Suryakumar Yadav and Mustafizur Rahman are the most important players for their respective sides in the series. Although the Indian skipper has hit a fifty in only one out of his last five T20Is, he is the second-ranked batter, with a 40+ average in the shortest format.
Surya will bat at No. 3 and could continue the momentum set by the openers or help Team India get back on track after a bad start. For both purposes, he will look to have pace on the ball to play with a positive intent. This is when he will need to counter Rahman's threat.
'Fizz' is an intelligent operator and can adjust his game as per the match situation and pitch. He can trouble 'SKY' with his variations in pace and lengths, and keep him quiet during the middle phase of India's innings.
#2 Liton Das vs Varun Chakravarthy
In 2024 T20 World Cup, Liton Das played as an opener. He will don the same role for the Tigers and help them get off to a good start in this series.
Although Liton hasn't had problems playing against the pacers, he holds a mediocre average of 20.29 and a strike rate of 112.42 against the spinners. Hence, the introduction of tweakers could spell trouble for the right-hander.
Varun Chakravarthy, who will be making a comeback to the national side after three years, will be a strong challenge for Liton in the series. Chakravarthy has numerous variations and doesn't allow the batters to free their arms.
Suryakumar Yadav can bring him into the attack early, due to his experience of bowling in the powerplay. During this phase or the middle overs could be the right time for the battle between Liton and Chakravarthy.
#3 Mahmudullah vs Arshdeep Singh
This battle might be witnessed in the death overs of Bangladesh's innings. Veteran batter Mahmudullah has been a gun performer for the Tigers due to his proven ball-striking in the final few overs. With his composure, he also keeps the side in the hunt in a big chase.
India's death-overs specialist, Arshdeep Singh could be in for a tough challenge against Mahmudullah. The left-arm pacer has cemented his place in the T20I team owing to his wicket-taking abilities.
On the other hand, the veteran batter has had a good success rate against the fuller balls and often dispatched the shorter balls to the boundary.
Arshdeep will need to be consistent to fire the ball into the block hole and also stun Mahmudullah with his odd bouncers. It will be interesting to see if he can help India have an edge in the crucial stage of the innings.