IND vs BDESH 2024/25, IND vs BAN 2nd T20I Match Preview

Big picture: India's attack template

Despite having two debutants and a host of new faces in the team, India steamrolled Bangladesh by a margin of 128 in 12 overs in the first T20I in Gwalior. Yes, India were always the favorites but that also showed how far behind Bangladesh are in T20I cricket.

The way India played showed Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir continuing the attacking template of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid that helped them win the T20 World Cup earlier this year. With the exception of Nitish Kumar Reddy (16 not out in 15 balls), all of them struggled with a strike rate of over 150. Furthermore, they no longer suffer from the problem of their batters failing to jump in with the ball. Their XI in the first T20I had as many as eight bowling options, which Suryakumar described as a “lucky headache”.

On the other hand, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted that his batters don't know how to score 180 in a T20I as they are used to playing on 140-150 pitches at home. But that's a hurdle they'll have to overcome if they want to keep the series alive.

Form Guide

India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW

Spotlight: Hardik Pandya and Najmul Hossain Shanto

After the 2022 T20 World Cup, when Rohit took a break from the format, Hardik Pandya seemed set to replace him as India's permanent T20I captain. That didn't work. Even after Rohit's T20I retirement, the selectors opted for Suryakumar. Hardik, meanwhile, seemed to have settled into the role of anchor, first with the Gujarat Titans and then with the Indian team. But in Gwalior he showed he could still be as destructive as any other batsman by hitting 39 balls rather than just 16. Earlier, he opened the bowling and took 1 for 26 from four overs.

While Hardik epitomized India's bold approach, Najmul Hossain Shanto's innings showed what Bangladesh needs to work on. As number 3, Shanto managed only 27 runs and two boundaries despite facing 25 balls. One reason for his cautious approach could be that Bangladesh had lost two wickets in the first three overs, but even then a strike rate of 108 was too low. To change Bangladesh's fortunes, the captain must lead by example.

Team news: Will Miraz open?

To give as many players a chance as possible, India could sign Tilak Varma for Reddy and Harshit Rana for Mayank Yadav.

India (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Tamim Iqbal, who is a commentator and pundit for the host broadcaster in India, said after the first T20I that he suggested Shanto to open with Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Will Bangladesh listen to their former captain or stick with what they have or bring in Tanzid Hasan for Parvez Hossain Emon?

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Parvez Hossain Emon/Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (Week), 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed , 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and Conditions: A high scoring venue

In the five matches of IPL 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the 200 mark was broken in eight out of ten innings. Obviously, these teams had an extra hitter in the form of an impact player, but even without that luxury, a high-scoring game is expected on Wednesday. The weather should be clear with little risk of dew.

Statistics and Trivia: Suryakumar's Double Dose

Bangladesh have beaten India just once in 15 T20I meetings. The only team Bangladesh have a worse record against (at least three T20Is) is South Africa: nine games, nine losses.
On average, Suryakumar hits 2.01 sixes per innings (139 in 69) in T20I cricket. Among those who have hit at least 50 sixes in T20Is, only Evin Lewis (2.13; 111 in 52) averages more than two sixes per innings.
Hardik (87) and Arshdeep Singh (86) are fourth and fifth respectively on the list of most T20I wickets for India.
Litton Das is 53 short of becoming the third Bangladesh batsman to score 2000 T20I runs. Shanto needs 65 to reach 1000.

Quotes

“We (Punjab Kings) didn’t play here in this IPL but after seeing the results, I didn’t feel like checking the wicket.” (laughs). But yes, we will come tomorrow and see what could be a good plan here. And of course the captain and the coach will check the wicket and communicate their plan.”
Indian sailor with left arm Arshdeep Singh on the square in Delhi

“Our bowlers have done an excellent job in recent years. I don't think we played that badly in the first game. We shouldn't doubt ourselves because of a game. That would be unfair. We have to get out of there. “We tried to play aggressively with the bat, that will help us better.
Bangladeshi dough Mahmudullah defends his team's performance

Hemant Brar is an editor at ESPNcricinfo