India will look to seal the three-match T20I series when they take on Bangladesh in the second match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital on Wednesday.

Despite the absence of first choice players — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, rested for the upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand, India rode on a collective effort from their white-ball specialists to record a seven-wicket victory in Gwalior on Sunday, and take a 1-0 lead.

Advertisement

Sanju Samson grabbed the opportunity with both hands when he was promoted to open the innings in the first game in the absence of Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, also rested for the New Zealand Tests.

Blame it on his lack of consistency or a packed middle order leading to his frequent omissions from the playing XI, Samson has been in and out of the Indian team ever since making his debut in 2015. The absence of Jaiswal and Gill has thus provided the team management a chance to test Samson at the top of the order partnering Abhishek Sharma.

In Gwalior, the Kerala keeper-batter made a statement with some delightful strokes for a 19-ball 29, but failed to convert it into a substantial score much like his opening partner Sharma, who also fell after getting a start. As such, the duo will hope to make amends here, and give India a solid start in front of an expected capacity Kotla crowd.

For the 29-year-old Samson, the series provides him a golden opportunity to cement his place in India’s white-ball set-up, with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Jitesh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel waiting for their opportunities.

India is unlikely to make any changes to their winning combination, the second game could also be a grand occasion for young pace sensation Mayank Yadav to play in front of his home crowd. Yadav got his India career off to a sensational start in the first match and so did the other debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, the seam-bowling all-rounder.

Arshdeep Singh led India’s pace battery well in the absence of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, while all-rounder Varun Chakravarthy injected life into his India career with three wickets after making a comeback to the national set-up following a three-year hiatus.

Along with Washington Sundar, Chakravarthy will be eager to continue the momentum as they compete for the spin-bowling all-rounder’s slot left vacant by Ravindra Jadeja.

The recently re-laid 22-yard strip at the Kotla has consistently produced high-scoring games, as evidenced during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, and thus one can expect a high-scoring affair.

Reflecting on the conditions, left-arm pacer Arshdeep said in the pre-match press conference, “We didn’t have a match here in the IPL this season, but judging by the scores at this ground, I didn’t feel the need to inspect the wicket. We will come tomorrow, assess the conditions, and make our plans accordingly. The coach and captain will examine the pitch and brief us on the strategy.”

Coming to the opposition camp, Bangladesh will be desperately hoping to keep the series alive with a victory in Delhi. Despite having a similar looking squad that featured in the T20 World Cup, sans Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh haven’t been able to crack the T20I code.

Bangladesh’s major weaklink has been their batting and the senior pros — skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das and Mahmudullah — will thus be expected to share a major part of the workload and ease off the pressure from the others. The 38-year-old Mahmuddullah, who announced his retirement from the shortest format on the eve of the second T20I, will hope to end his career on a high.

Bangladesh’s bowling has the potential to surprise any superior batting line-up on their day, and it will be interesting to see if they can stop the Indian juggernaut at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday.

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah, Litton Kumer Das, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan