India were reeling at 41 for 3 after the quick dismissals of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav but the Indian captain said he sort of wanted his middle-order (Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya) to bat under pressure and come out on top. India, after the early setbacks, rebounded spectacularly to post a massive total of 221/9, eventually securing an 86-run victory and taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Rinku Singh (53 off 29) and Nitish Reddy (73 off 34) played fearless cricket, counter-attacking the Bangladesh bowling and shifting momentum back in India’s favor. Hardik Pandya (32 off 19) and Riyan Parag (15 off 6) further added to the fireworks, with the quartet smashing a combined total of 14 sixes, propelling India to a formidable total.
Post-match, Suryakumar praised the team’s response under pressure. “I wanted that situation. I wanted my middle-order (5, 6, 7) to bat under pressure and express themselves. I’m really happy with the way Rinku and Nitish played. They batted exactly as I wanted,” he said.
India’s bowling attack was equally impressive. In a bold strategy, SKY employed seven different bowlers in the second innings, making it the first time in India’s T20I history that all seven bowlers took at least one wicket. Notably, Pandya didn’t need to bowl as India’s diverse bowling lineup proved more than effective, restricting Bangladesh to 135/9.
“I wanted to see what different bowlers could do in various situations. Sometimes Hardik won’t bowl, sometimes Washington Sunday won’t bowl. I’m very happy with the way the bowlers stepped up,” added SKY.
Nitish Reddy shone in both departments, scoring his maiden international fifty and taking two wickets. His all-round brilliance made him the first Indian to score over 70 runs and take two wickets in a single T20I, earning him the Player of the Match award in just his second international appearance.
Speaking on his performance, Reddy said, “It feels great to represent India. I’m grateful for the opportunity and the trust the captain and coach showed in me. After that no-ball, everything went in my favor, and I’m just happy I could contribute to the team.”
