Match Overview:

First Innings:

The Indian batsmen never looked adept and adjusted to deal with the tricky pitch on offer and hence had to succumb to a disciplined bowling effort from the Bangladeshi unit. Rohit Sharma departed very early and took a review away with him whilst KL Rahul was dismissed without carving much of an impact in the game as well. All the batsmen found it difficult to time the ball to perfection and somewhat grinded their way to their respective scores.

Only Shreyas Iyer looked to exude some striking confidence with two sixes and a boundary in his knock of 22 runs. Rishabh Pant scored 27 runs in 26 deliveries as well but his miscall to run-out Shikhar Dhawan meant that particular moment had a very vital role in India’s overall total. Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya managed to give a late acceleration to the Indian innings but the sheer fact that none of the batsmen managed to get going and covert their innings to a big score meant that the home side finished with a  partly 148 runs eventually.

             Team India's batting lineup struggled in Delhi. Image: BCCI

Second Innings:

Deepak Chahar started off his innings in a commendable way by scalping the wicket of Liton Das straightaway. However, Soumya Sarkar built the innings well enough later on and lifted the morale by preventing the ship from sinking along with the presence of Mohammed Naim who bagged 26 runs as well. They played out the initial phase of the innings safely but it was the arrival of Mushfiqur Rahim on the field that changed the course of the game for the visitors.

Sundar delivered a very economical spell but Rahim’s innate ability to scruff the game by its neck and take complete control over the proceedings meant that he managed to take along Sarkar with him and hence Bangladesh made light work of a chase that could have gotten a bit tricky in retrospect. Rahim’s knock of 60 runs included eight boundaries and a six.

Two defining moments in this innings was Krunal Pandya’s dropped catch of Rahim whereas the other was when Pant made mayhem of a review and India failed to capitalize on it. Eventually, the final nail in the coffin was made in the 19^th over where Khaleel conceded four consecutive boundaries and Bangladesh entered a pretty safe zone in terms of crossing over the finishing line.

          Bangladesh dominated Team India throughout the game. Image: BCCI

Player of the Match:

The more said about Rahim’s composure throughout the chase, the less it would be to completely explain its sheer impact upon Bangladesh. Firstly, considering the troubles that their national side has faced in recent times, a victory in the first match was very much needed to boost the morale of the entire squad.

Specifically, when Sarkar was bowled over by Khaleel in the fag end of the innings, Rahim ensured that he stepped up the gear and avoided any moments of complacent stupidity that could have hampered Bangladesh’s chances of securing a win in this game. They had already suffered by making a mess of a chase back in March 2016 in Bengaluru in the World T20 match, but the same duo that was involved in that match, Mahmadullah and Mushfiqur were successful in avoiding any of that in this match. 

Mandatory Reading:

Stat of the Day:

Rohit Sharma surpassed MS Dhoni in terms of becoming the most capped Indian cricketer in T20 international cricket. He has now represented the country in 99 T20Is and has been a constant with the squad ever since the team’s victorious 2007 WT20 campaign. A truly remarkable feat for the skipper!

         Rohit Sharma became the most capped Indian T20I player. Image: BCCI

What’s next for Team India?

The Indian team would now look bounce back and win two matches in a row to avoid a series defeat this time around. The next game would be played in the Saurashtra Stadium, Rajkot on the 7^th of November, whilst the final T20I would take place in Vidarbha, Nagpur on the 10^th of the same month. Suddenly, the series has gained a significant lot of sheen and curiosity with Bangladesh’s rather unexpected victory tonight.