Riding on half-centuries from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh, along with an all-round effort from the bowling unit, India outclassed Bangladesh to win the second T20I by 86 runs, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s decision to bowl first brought some early rewards, but only for a brief period. Understanding the two-paced nature of the wicket, the Bangladeshi pacers smartly varied their deliveries, using cutters and faster balls with the new ball to dismiss India’s top three inside the powerplay. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman removed Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav with cutters, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib, returning to the team, clean bowled Abhishek Sharma with a 147 km/h delivery that uprooted his off stump.
At 41/3, Nitish and Rinku came together to rescue India. Nitish started slowly, scoring just 13 runs off his first 13 balls. However, after being awarded a free hit, his innings gained momentum. The Tigers had initially kept both batters in check, but the tide turned in the ninth over when Rinku stepped up. Mahmudullah’s costly mistake of giving Nitish a free hit allowed him to smash a six, igniting his aggressive innings. Nitish went on to hit seven sixes and four boundaries, scoring a blistering 74 off just 34 balls.
The ninth over was the turning point, followed by Rishad Hossain’s over, which went for 24 runs. There was little in the wicket for the spinners, and with short boundaries, Nitish and Rinku capitalised on every scoring opportunity. Even when the pacers returned after drinks, the runs kept flowing. Their 108-run partnership was eventually broken by Mustafizur, who used an off-cutter to good effect. By then, the damage had been done – not just in terms of runs, but also psychologically, as Nitish played some stunning shots, including a wristy flick in the 11th over off Mustafizur.
Rinku completed his third T20I fifty with three consecutive boundaries in the 16th over, but he soon fell trying to clear the deep midwicket fielder. Hardik Pandya and Riyan Parag then played quickfire cameos to propel India to a daunting total. No wickets fell to spin until the 20th over, when Rishad Hossain struck three times, conceding only eight runs.
While it took Bangladesh’s spinners 19 overs to make an impact, their Indian counterparts did so in just four. All four spinners – Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek, and Riyan Parag – claimed a wicket in their first over. Sundar dismissed Najmul Hossain Shanto for the second time in the series in his first over, while Litton Das was caught out playing a sweep to a good-length delivery from Chakravarthy. Towhid Hridoy fell to a full ball from Abhishek, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 46/4. There was a promising 34-run partnership between Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan Miraz before the latter lofted one to long-off. While wickets continued to fall at one end, Mahmudullah held firm at the other, occasionally playing big shots to reduce the margin of defeat.
Brief scores: India 221/9 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 74, Rinku Singh 53, Rishad Hossain 3/54) beat Bangladesh 135/9 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 41, Parvez Hossain Emon 16, Varun Chakravarthy 2/19) by 86 runs.