Having over run Bangladesh with a consummate ease to clinch an unassailable 2-0 lead, India will aim to inflict a complete whitewash by winning the third and final match of the ongoing T20 International series in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Team India underlined their credentials as the T20I World Cup winners with dominant performances in both batting and bowling while Bangladesh have struggled consistently throughout the series.

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The visitors have batted woefully while their bowlers have failed to rise to the occasion. The hosts displayed the depth in their batting line up during the second T20I, posting their highest ever total against Bangladesh in the format despite losing three wickets in the powerplay.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh put together 108 runs for a superb fourth wicket stand before Hardik Pandya and Riyan Parag ran riot at the end. The Bangladesh batters wilted before the formidable target of 222 runs and could only manage to muster a paltry 135 for 9 at the Kotla.

With the series well and truly in the bag, the hosts may look to try out their bench strength in the third game. Ravi Bishnoi, Tilak Verma, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana had to sit on the sidelines during the first two matches of the series and the team management may decide to include them in the playing XI in Hyderabad.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, need to go through a serious brainstorming session. The visitors’ top order hasn’t given them the best of starts. Litton Das and newcomer Parvez Hossain Emon tried to adopt an aggressive approach without any success while skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has been yet another disappointment.

The bowling department has also been patchy for the visitors with the spinners struggling to find the right length. However, the paces have done marginally better for the visitors. Taskin Ahmed took two wickets in Delhi while Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib have shown promise in patches.

With veteran batter Mahmudullah deciding to bid adieu to the shortest format of the game after the ongoing series, the Bangladesh players need to pull up their socks if they are to give a fitting farewell to their former captain. A veteran of 140 matches in T20I cricket, Mahmudullah announced his retirement from the format ahead of the second match in Delhi. The announcement did not come as a big surprise as the right-hander has struggled with a run of poor form in recent matches.

Although the 38-year-old was the top-scorer for Bangladesh with 41 runs during the T20I in Delhi, it was an effort geared towards avoiding a humiliating defeat rather than taking the fight to the opposition. Bangladesh will probably need a lengthy period of time to find a suitable replacement for Mahmudullah and the match in Hyderabad could be a good place to start.

Teams:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana

Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (wk), Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman