India’s dominance was on full display in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior, as they secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Following the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, praising their ability to execute their game plan flawlessly. “We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in the team meeting, we just walked the talk,” he said during the post-match presentation. “The way the guys showed their character on the field, first time playing on a new ground, and the way we batted, showed our character.”
The match marked the debuts of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav, both of whom impressed with their performances. Suryakumar lauded their contributions and expressed excitement about seeing them in action in the upcoming matches. “Very excited and looking forward to seeing them in the next games,” he said. “It’s a good headache to have when you are on the field when you have extra bowling options.”
The Indian bowlers also shone, with Arshdeep Singh and the returning Varun Chakravarthy dismantling the Bangladesh batting lineup, restricting them to a modest 127 runs. Arshdeep and Chakravarthy each claimed three wickets, making it a challenging task for the Bangladesh batsmen.
India’s chase was a comfortable one, reaching the target with 49 balls to spare. This victory marked India’s first T20 win on home soil since their T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last June.
Looking ahead to the next game, Suryakumar acknowledged that there are areas where the team can improve. “You always learn something new playing every game,” he said. “There will be a few areas to improve, we’ll sit down and talk about it before the next game.” The series continues in Delhi on October 9th and concludes in Hyderabad on October 12th.
