3 things India need to do right to beat Bangladesh in the 1st T20I ft. understanding the new Gwalior venue
India's build-up towards the 2026 T20 World Cup is well underway, with the defending champions of the ICC crown gearing up to face off against Bangladesh. The first of the three T20Is will be played in Gwalior on Sunday, October 6.
Suryakumar Yadav and company are still trying to identify the right personnel in their new T20I era, and this rubber will give them plenty of chances to test out new players. With most of the first-choice side rested, we could see a few caps being handed out.
India’s squad for the 3 T20Is against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav.
While India are the obvious favorites for the series despite not being at full strength, they cannot afford to take it easy against a talented Tigers unit. On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat Bangladesh in the first T20I.
#3 India need to get overs out of their part-timers and lengthen the batting
India have long been searching for top-order batters who can chip in with the ball regularly, and they now have two quality options - Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag. While the latter inspires more confidence with the ball and enjoyed an excellent outing in Sri Lanka, the former is no slouch and has plenty of variations in his locker.
Given that India have a few good spin overs in their top order, as well as two pace-bowling all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy, they can afford to lengthen their batting. Playing Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy in tandem could be an option if the Men in Blue are willing to drop Washington Sundar.
But that wouldn't lengthen the batting, and India might not be willing to take that approach anyway. Either Tilak Varma or Jitesh Sharma - preferably the former - could play as a specialist middle-order batter while not greatly affecting the balance of the team. A deeper batting unit will only improve the home side's chances of winning.
#2 Rishad Hossain, who holds the key for Bangladesh, must be countered
The 2024 T20 World Cup saw Rishad Hossain truly announce himself on the global stage. The talented leg-spinner picked up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.76 and even struck a few lusty blows lower down the order.
Bangladesh's T20I team has long been crying out for a player like Rishad, who has the X-factor to make an impact in both departments regularly. The youngster will hold the key amid a bowling attack that will be daunted by the prospect of bowling to India's slew of power hitters.
That said, however, India need to throw Rishad off his lengths as soon as possible. His accuracy isn't a finished product yet, and he can be unsettled if opposition batters aren't afraid to play their shots against him. Moreover, the 22-year-old has been plagued by a few fitness concerns lately.
If Rishad can be taken for a few runs, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto might be bereft of answers in the middle overs.
#1 India need to assess the new international venue thoroughly
The Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior will host an international fixture for the first time on Sunday. The venue did host a portion of the Madhya Pradesh Premier League earlier this year and threw up high-scoring affairs.
However, India will need to be careful while adopting a crash-bang-wallop approach to batting. It remains to be seen how the new venue will fare and whether it will meet the varied demands of international cricket.
A slow pitch could spell doom for India, who have aggressive stroke-makers throughout the batting order. The last thing they will need is for Bangladesh to work themselves into the game because of improper assessment of the conditions, something that transpired in previous assignments against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.