India’s thumping 86-run win over Bangladesh in the second T20I saw several players chip in with all-round performances, as India’s young middle order made their presence felt. Nitish Reddy starred with both bat and ball, Rinku Singh bailed India out of a pressure situation, and Riyan Parag also chipped in with a cameo with the bat and a wicket with the ball. In fact, the showings of these three ensured that Hardik Pandya was not required to bowl a single over. India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav lavished praise.
“I wanted my middle-order to bat under pressure and express themselves. I’m really happy with the way Rinku and Nitish played. They batted exactly as I wanted,” said Suryakumar.
With the team under pressure at 41/3, Nitish Reddy and Rinku Singh began India’s counter-attack. The duo stitched a 108-run partnership, with Reddy scoring 74 off just 34 balls, while Rinku made 53 off 29.
Later, Reddy opened the bowling and picked up two wickets, becoming the first Indian to score more than 70 runs in a T20I and pick up two wickets. Along with Reddy, Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag also chipped in with the ball and picked up a wicket each.
India used a total of seven bowlers despite Hardik Pandya not bowling. Remarkably, all seven bowlers took at least one wicket, a first.
“I wanted to see what different bowlers could do in various situations. Sometimes Hardik won’t bowl, sometimes Washington Sundar won’t bowl. I’m very happy with the way the bowlers stepped up,” added Suryakumar.
With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja bidding goodbye to T20I cricket, India’s new-look core has performed admirably so far, clinching series wins against Sri Lanka and now Bangladesh. Not only that, the display of all-round skills by the young core has been a hallmark feature of Gautam Gambhir’s stint as coach.
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