NEW DELHI: India's commanding 86-run victory over Bangladesh in the second T20I was driven by outstanding all-round performances, particularly from the young middle order.
Nitish Reddy excelled with both bat and ball, while Rinku Singh played a pivotal role in rescuing India from a tough spot. Riyan Parag also made valuable contributions with a quickfire innings and a wicket.
Their efforts meant Hardik Pandya wasn't required to bowl a single over. Reflecting on the game, captain Suryakumar Yadav praised the middle-order, saying, "I wanted my middle-order to face pressure and express themselves. I'm really happy with the way Rinku and Nitish played. They batted exactly as I wanted."
At 41/3, Nitish Reddy and Rinku Singh mounted a strong comeback for India, forging a 108-run partnership. Reddy's blistering 74 off 34 balls, along with Rinku's 53 off 29 deliveries, turned the tide. Reddy then impressed with the ball, picking up two wickets and becoming the first Indian to score over 70 runs and take two wickets in a T20I. Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag also chipped in with a wicket each.
India used seven bowlers in total, and remarkably, all of them took at least one wicket—a first in T20I cricket. On this, Suryakumar remarked, "I wanted to see how different bowlers handle different situations. Sometimes Hardik won’t bowl, sometimes Washington Sundar won’t bowl. I’m very pleased with how the bowlers stepped up."
With the series now in hand, India will be eyeing a clean sweep when they face Bangladesh in the final T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.
