IND vs BAN: Top 5 key battles to watch out for in the 1st T20I in Gwalior

The first IND vs BAN T20I will take place on Sunday at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior.

The first T20I of the IND vs BAN series is scheduled to take place at New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior, on Sunday, October 6. This is the first of the three-match T20I series.

Both sides have included some new faces, which will make this series more exciting to watch. India have picked uncapped Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reedy, and Harshit Rana.

India have an inexperienced bowling unit, but the batting department looks stunning. So, we will have some eye-catching player battles in the first IND vs BAN T20I in Gwalior.

IND vs BAN: Head-to-Head

India and Bangladesh have played 14 T20Is against each other so far. Out of these, India won 13 while Bangladesh have only one victory, which came in 2019.

IND vs BAN: Top five player battles to watch out for

1. Suryakumar Yadav vs Mustafizur Rahman

India will heavily depend on captain Suryakumar Yadav and the team’s success can be judged by how he goes about his business in this series. He is India’s best T20 batter and is in good form. He will look to make it count in the first game.

Suryakumar will be up against Bangladesh’s ace T20 pacer, Mustafizur Rahman. Suryakumar likes pace on the ball, while Rahman has different kinds of slower ones. Rahman dismissed Suryakumar once in nine balls in the Indian Premier League. Their battle will be exciting to watch.

2. Sanju Samson vs Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Sanju Samson is likely to get the edge over Jitesh Sharma as the first-choice keeper in the IND vs BAN T20Is and he is expected to open as well. It is important for him to grab the opportunities here in Rishabh Pant’s absence.

Samson hasn’t been at ease against quality off-spinners, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz is someone who can trouble the Kerala cricketer. Miraz is a street-smart cricketer who can bowl in the powerplay as well. He may clash with Samson in Gwalior.

3. Shivam Dube vs Rishad Hossain

Shivam Dube will love playing against Bangladesh because they are a spin-heavy bowling side. The left-hander is known to assault spinners and has done superbly in the role of a spin-basher.

He was part of the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Bangladesh and played well for his 24-ball 34. But, he didn’t look comfortable against leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. Rishad bowled four balls to him and dismissed him in that game.

4. Litton Das vs Hardik Pandya

Litton Das is one Bangladeshi batter who can be a huge threat to the Indian bowlers. If he gets going, he will take the scoring rate up quickly as he bats with aggression and fearlessness.

He has decent numbers against India. But, Hardik Pandya has troubled him a couple of times. Litton has faced 10 balls off Hardik in international cricket, scored 21 runs and got out twice.

5. Mahmudullah vs Arshdeep Singh

India don’t have Jasprit Bumrah in the IND vs BAN T20I series. Hence, Arshdeep Singh will be the leader of the pace attack and will be taking responsibility of both new and old balls. In death overs, he is likely to come up against Bangladesh’s most experienced cricketer, Mahmudullah.

Mahmudullah has played most T20Is for Bangladesh and has faced India a dozen times in his career. His battle with Arshdeep will be interesting. Arshdeep has dismissed him once in five balls in T20Is.

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