Dubai, Sept 24 (UNI) Bangladesh, electing to field after winning the toss, pulled back India to 168 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs in an absorbing T20 encounter here today.
The match saw a mix of fireworks and collapses as India’s top order struggled, but Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya provided timely hitting to give the innings some momentum.
India got off to a shaky start against disciplined bowling from Bangladesh. Shubman Gill began positively, hitting an early boundary but fell for 29 off 19 balls when Rishad Hossain deceived him with a fuller length delivery. Shivam Dube, promoted up the order, could only manage 2 runs before succumbing to Rishad’s googly, caught by Towhid Hridoy at long-off.
Sharma then took center stage, producing a scintillating innings of 75 off 37 balls, studded with 5 sixes and 6 fours. He dominated the middle overs, punishing errant deliveries from Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Mustafizur Rahman.
He reached his half-century in style and completed 100-run partnerships with the likes of Pandya in the latter part of the innings. However, his innings ended with a smart runout orchestrated by Rishad and completed by Mustafizur in the 12th over, highlighting Bangladesh fielding alertness.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav could not build on the start, falling cheaply for 5 to Mustafizur Rahman, who caught him off a flicked short ball behind the stumps. Tilak Varma too was dismissed cheaply by Tanzim Hasan Sakib, leaving India at 129 for 5 in the 15th over.
Pandya then came in and played a pivotal finishing role, scoring 38 off 29 balls with a six and 4 boundaries. He exploited the full tosses and loose deliveries from Mustafizur and Sakib, driving the ball over covers and slogging over the infield. His cameo included a lofted six over long-off and a sequence of powerful boundaries between overs 16 and 18.
Pandya was finally dismissed in the last ball of India innings, caught at long-off by Tanzim Hasan off Saifuddin, ending India’s innings at 168 for 6. Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 10, with Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy yet to bat.
Bangladesh bowling performance was anchored by Rishad, who claimed 2 wickets for 27 runs in 3 overs, while Mustafizur took 1 for 33.
Sakib also chipped in with a crucial wicket of Varma. Saifuddin contributed a wicket and bowled tight lines in the final overs to restrict the run flow. Extras added 4 runs to India’s total, including 2 wides and a no-ball.
The Indian innings was characterised by moments of brilliance interspersed with regular wicket losses, with key partnerships breaking under pressure.
With 20 overs completed, India’s score of 168/6 is competitive but leaves room for Bangladesh to chase down if their batsmen negotiate the powerplay effectively. The match promises a tense second innings with both teams capable of quick scoring and sudden collapses in T20 cricket.
