Rinku , Nitish Reddy fires India to match & series win vs Bangladesh in 2nd T20I

 

This Indian team embodies the spirit of players like Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav. Fear doesn’t seem to be part of their mindset. Otherwise, no team would believe they could score 221 runs after losing 3 wickets for just 41 runs in the Powerplay. But this team believes they can, thanks to players like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya. With talents like Nitish Reddy also joining the squad, they maintain their approach no matter the match situation, as was evident at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Currently, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi produces the highest runs in T20 cricket globally, with an average first-innings score of 235. However, India did not start well on this pitch. Despite scoring 15 runs in the first over, the batters struggled against the pacers during the Powerplay. Some deliveries were holding up on the pitch. India's top order—Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and captain Suryakumar Yadav—are batters who thrive on pace, but they were not getting it. Consequently, Sanju got out for 10, Abhishek for 14, and Suryakumar for 8.

Rinku and Nitish then stabilized the innings. While they were cautious at first, they soon began playing bigger shots, especially against the Bangladeshi spinners. Both Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Riyad Hossain conceded a lot of runs. Nitish was particularly aggressive. After reaching his half-century, he attempted big shots on every ball but eventually got out for 74 off 34 balls to the experienced Mustafizur Rahman. Rinku and Nitish's partnership contributed 108 runs.

Even after the partnership was broken, India didn’t slow down. Rinku completed his half-century with a six, but he got out shortly after, scoring 53 off 29 balls. Hardik continued his form from the previous match. This game also saw Riyan Parag getting a chance to bat, and he played freely from the start. Towards the end, India lost a few quick wickets, with Riyan scoring 15 and Hardik 32. Had they stayed longer, India could have scored 20 more runs. In the end, India finished with 221 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs.

In response, Bangladesh had a decent start. Parvez Hossain Emon scored 14 runs off Arshdeep Singh in the first over, giving the impression that Bangladesh was ready to put up a fight. However, Arshdeep used his experience to strike back, bowling Emon in his second over, just as he had done in the first match. Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto looked comfortable against the pacers, but Suryakumar handed the ball to the spinners during the Powerplay, which changed the course of the game.

Washington Sundar dismissed Shanto for 11 in his first over. Bangladesh lost another wicket during the Powerplay when Varun Chakravarthy got Litton out for 14. Abhishek Sharma took the wicket of Towhid Hridoy. While Bangladesh’s spinners conceded 116 runs in 8 overs, India’s spinners bowled excellently, giving away only 49 runs in 9 overs and taking 5 wickets. This contrast highlighted the difference in skill between the two teams' spinners.

At the 10-over mark, Bangladesh had 70 runs with Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan at the crease. Mahmudullah, who will play just one more international T20 after this, is 38 years old, and although Mehidy is the team's best all-rounder, he too couldn’t pull Bangladesh out of the situation. As expected, Riyan Parag dismissed Mehidy in his first over, with part-time bowlers also taking wickets. It became clear that the match was slipping out of Bangladesh’s hands.

All eyes were on Mayank Yadav in this match as well, since he was playing on his home ground. He came on to bowl in the 10th over. While he didn’t take a wicket in his first over, his pace caught everyone’s attention. In his second over, Zakir Ali couldn’t handle his delivery and was caught out, with Mayank clocking 148 km/h. Although his pace was impressive, he still needed better control. He bowled his first ball in the final over at 150 km/h but followed it up with a delivery at just 102 km/h, losing control. Once he masters his control, he could become even more dangerous.

With wickets falling regularly, Bangladesh’s goal shifted to simply surviving the 20 overs and minimizing the margin of defeat. Mahmudullah hit a few big shots, but they didn’t make much of a difference. Nitish Reddy contributed both with the bat, scoring 74, and with the ball, taking wickets. Suryakumar used seven bowlers in the match, and all of them took wickets. Bangladesh’s innings ended at 135 for 9 in 20 overs, giving India an 86-run victory and securing the series.