Sanju Samson encourages Riyan Parag in Bengali

Having defeated Bangladesh by 86 runs in Delhi and guaranteed their 16th straight T20I series victory at home, it was again another all-encompassing exhibition from India. Nitish Kumar Reddy led the way, but India’s batsmen were collectively as merciless as ever as they put up an incredible 221/9 after Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s batting first call.

The Bangladesh innngs with as many as seven guys bowling for India and all collecting wickets clearly showed the group effort. This includes Riyan Parag, who threw Mehidy Hasan Miraz in some rather humorous situations. Commentators Abhinav Mukund and Murali Kartik observed that Sanju Samson would always be chatting to Varun Chakravarthy in Tamil while the latter was bowling his overs.

But Parag’s over hearing Samson exclaiming “Khub bhalo!” Bengali means “very good”. Laughing, Sunil Gavaskar acknowledged it this time in the commentary box, saying Samson was now flaunting his Bengali abilities.

As Mahmudullah took a single off the fifth ball of the 11th to put Mehidy Hasan Miraz on strike, Samson remarked so. Miraz fell the very next ball, incidentally.

Parag let out a triumphant yell. Before Parag released the ball, Miraz danced down the track; the later put in a long, wide delivery. Mirroring Ravi Bishnoi, a replacement fielder, Miraz reached out for it and knocked it down the long-off neck.

Chasing down a target of 128 in only 11.5 overs, India had won the first T20I by seven wickets. India lost three wickets in the powerplay during the second T20I.

Reddy and Rinku Singh, however, led such a powerful turnaround after this time that India came to seem as if it had hardly broken a sweat in securing the victory. Reddy and Rinku set up a fourth wicket partnership of 108 runs in 49 balls; Hardik Pandya then provided the finishing touches.

Reddy took his first international wicket on the same day he blasted his first half-century. In 34 balls he scored 74 runs; his innings was dotted with seven sixes and four fours. Rinku, meanwhile, scored 53 in 29 balls striking three sixes and five fours.