IND vs BAN, T20 2024: Nitish Kumar Reddy’s all-round show helps India seal series against Bangladesh
Riding on the half-centuries from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh, India posted 221/9 and recorded their biggest win against Bangladesh, who lost by 86 runs.
Cricket
The Indian men’s cricket team registered its biggest win over Bangladesh, securing an 86-run victory in the second game of the three-match T20 series played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The win also helped India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Put into bat first after losing the toss, world champions India put on 221/9 thanks to a century stand between Nitish Kumar Reddy (74 off 34) and Rinku Singh (53 off 29) for the fourth wicket.
Rishad Hussain was the top wicket-taker for Bangladesh but his three wickets came at the cost of 55 runs. Taskin Ahmed, with 2/16 from four overs, was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers.
In reply, the Bangladesh cricket team never found momentum, managing only 135/9 in 20 overs.
Mahmudullah fought a lone battle with 41 off 39 but the rest of the lineup faltered under India’s disciplined bowling attack. Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/23) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/19) led the way as all seven Indian bowlers chipped in with wickets.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson gave India a flying start, smashing 15 runs in the first over. However, both fell early, with Samson managing 10 runs off 7 balls and Sharma contributing 15 runs off 11 balls.
Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav (8) was also dismissed soon as India found themselves in a spot of bother with the score of 41/3 inside the powerplay.
Rinku Singh broke the shackles with a slog sweep for six off Rishad Hossain in the eighth over, followed by Nitish Kumar hitting another six off Mahmudullah in the next.
The duo combined to score 24 runs off Rishad Hossain in the following over, pushing India to 101/3 at the halfway mark.
Nitish Kumar, who was at 13 off 13 at one point, registered his maiden international fifty in just 27 balls. The pair of Rinku and Nitish hammered 26 runs in the 13th over, taking India’s run rate past 11 runs per over.
Nitish Kumar was outdone by Mustafizur Rahman’s cutter in the 14th over but his 74, laced with seven maximums and four boundaries, had laid a solid foundation for the innings.
Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh kept the momentum going with a brisk 36-run partnership off 21 balls before Rinku departed in the 17th over. Riyan Parag and Hardik then propelled India's total to a formidable 221/9.
Parvez Hossain Emon struck three boundaries off Arshdeep Singh to get Bangladesh off to an exciting start. However, Arshdeep Singh got the wicket of Parvez Hossain Emon in the third over.
Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto also scored runs quickly as the game looked in balance with Bangladesh at 38/1 in four overs. However, Indian bowlers allowed just one boundary off the next six overs to keep Bangladesh at 70/4 at the halfway stage.
With the required run rate skyrocketing, the visitors struggled to keep up, losing wickets at regular intervals. Mahmudullah fought valiantly but the target was too steep as India closed out a comprehensive victory.
The third and final game of the three-match India vs Bangladesh T20 series will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.
IND vs BAN T20 Series 2024 match 2 brief scores: India 221/9 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 74; Taskeen Ahmed 2/16) beat Bangladesh 135/9 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 41, Varun Chakravarthy 2/19) by 86 runs.