India was outplayed in the first T20I against Bangladesh in New Delhi. The visitors were able to keep their off-field woes at bay and came up with a collective team effort to caught the hosts napping. Consequently, the Rohit Sharma-led team will need to pull up their socks to stay alive in the series.
Bangladesh was able to put their noses in front and they would like to continue their good form going. The tourists are without the services of their two best batsmen in Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal but they played like they had nothing to lose.
First, their bowlers were able to restrict to 148 runs and then the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim was able to get his team through. Thus, Mahmudullah will want a similar team effort in Rajkot.
On the other hand, the Indian team doesn’t have experience in their bowling unit. Khaleel Ahmed went on to concede 18 runs in the penultimate over and it was the turning point of the match. Hence, the hosts will aim to get more runs as a cushion to their bowling battery.
In fact, the batting unit also needs to come up with a better performance. The batters had adopted a sedate approach and they would like to be more attacking in the shortest format of the game. Indian captain Rohit Sharma is going to be crucial and he can be the difference between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the first T20I was effected by Delhi’s air pollution and both teams had issues while playing in the arduous conditions. Similarly, the match at Rajkot is also in jeopardy after cyclone threats in the city.
Match Prediction:
India will be favorites once again despite losing the first T20I. However, the hosts will need to come up with a collective team effort. On the other hand, Bangladesh will like to replicate Delhi’s performance and seal the series.