Big picture: T20 world champions return home
A T20I series in the middle of a Test season can be a hard sell but both India and Bangladesh will have their own priorities in the three-match series starting in Gwalior on Sunday. While India have rested their key players, the ones on the fringes will look to establish themselves as back-ups and will also be keen to increase their IPL value.
Suryakumar Yadav leads a side that’s less experienced than Bangladesh in T20Is, but his players are more skilled and versatile than Bangladesh’s in the format. Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh are among the experienced players in India’s side, but even the ones with less than ten T20I caps are stars. Newcomers Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana are the uncapped players, while Abhishek Sharma, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in July, has a chance to add to his five T20I caps.
The home side are also without most of their first-choice fast bowlers, which could open up debuts for Mayank Yadav, who hit 150kph for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and Rana, who won IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders. Allrounders Hardik and Shivam Dube offer them seam-bowling support while Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and the returning Varun Chakravarthy make up the specialist spin group.
As for Bangladesh, who don’t play enough T20Is, this is a huge opportunity. From developing their game against a strong opposition, to having an outside chance of being picked in the IPL, there will be excitement in the visitors’ camp.
The likes of Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan, all of whom have at least fifty T20Is under their belt, have to put their act together if Bangladesh are to beat India. Even relative newcomers like Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain and Tanzid Hasan have growing reputations. All of this is vital when they know who is no longer in their line-up.
Shakib Al Hasan, who is arguably Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer, has announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is.
Form guide
India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
BangladeshLLLWW
In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Rishad Hossain
With India having picked just one opener in Abhishek, Sanju Samson will likely be pushed up to the top to partner Abhishek. Samson has ducks in his last two T20I knocks, against Sri Lanka, but it will be his IPL form from earlier this year, that will give him and the team management the confidence going into this series. Samson scored 531 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 153.46 in IPL 2024, once again underlining his ability in the format, something that he would like to bring into his international game quickly.
Legspinner Rishad Hossain finished the T20 World Cup earlier this year with 14 wickets, level with Rashid Khan, at an average of 13.85 and economy rate of 7.76. He emerged as Bangladesh’s top wicket-taker in the tournament has now comes the second act: impressing IPL scouts in India. It will be tough to back up such a strong performance and even in the past many Bangladesh players have struggled to build on early success. Rishad has played just one competitive game since the 2024 T20 World Cup but has since been training in Dhaka to get up to speed.
Team news: Mayank in line for debut
India have a new-look top order and seam attack as a number of regulars are missing from their T20I squad. Tearaway Mayank is set to make his international debut in Gwalior on Sunday.
India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Ravi Bishnoi/Varun Chakravarthy, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Arshdeep Singh/Harshit Rana
Mehidy Hasan Miraz returns to the Bangladesh T20I side to play as a batting allrounder. Parvez Hossain Emon could be picked ahead of Tanzid Hasan.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das (wk), 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Tanzid Hasan, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 6 Towhid Hridoy, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
Pitch and conditions: Good weather on Sunday evening
The pitch is bit of an unknown, given this will be the first international at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium. Teams batting first in night games in the last 12 months in India have averaged in excess of 190 runs, with four out of the eight teams scoring 200-plus batting first. The weather is likely to be slightly cooler than the usual daytime heat, on Sunday evening.
Stats and Trivia
- This is the first international match at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, which is located 12km to the west of Gwalior city. The last match held in the region was in February 2010 when Sachin Tendulkar struck the first double-hundred in ODIs, at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium.
- Bangladesh (644 caps) have a more experienced T20I squad than India (389 caps) in this series.
- At 37 years and 180 days, Shakib recently became Bangladesh’s oldest Test cricketer. Mahmudullah, part of this T20 squad, is second oldest in all formats for Bangladesh, now playing at the age of 38. Overall, Jahangir Shah is Bangladesh’s oldest international cricketer who played an ODI against New Zealand at the age of 41.
Quote
“From this series, you will see our players trying to play with a new approach. Everyone will play to win. I think the players that are here [for the series], and four or five others, will be the ones playing the 2026 World Cup. So, I think from this series, our preparations will properly begin.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto on their early preparation for the next T20 World Cup
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
