India and Bangladesh will face off for the second T20I in Delhi at the Arun Jaitely Stadium on October 9, where India leads the 3-match series by 1-0. 

(Cricket news) It has not been a below-par year for Bangladesh. A series loss against the USA, followed by their exclusion from the T20 World Cup at the Super Eight stage, and then they headed to the 2-match test series against India, where they were blanked by 2-0 and now they are trailing in the 3-match T20I away series. Things are not going their way, especially in the T20I format, in which they have been able to win just 1 out of their last 5 matches. 

Despite having an experienced XI with the likes of Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmadullah, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Taskin Ahmed, they haven’t really fired up together to prove their potential recently, and if they were to keep the series alive, things have to go otherwise, and Captain blaming the homing conditions for their lower total of 127 in the previous match will not help Mahmadullah – the most capped player of the side, to end his career on a high. 

On the other side of the coin, things are simple but complicated in a way that will not make the  World Champions worry. The Indian team has lined up a majorly nascent but rounding squad with just 4 of 14 players who were there when the team lifted the T20 World Cup trophy. Raving the quality of the roster, Bangladesh would be enviable, but their emerging stars like Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Towid Hridoy, and Parvez Hossain Emon would not resonate with the environment and experience the Indian roster is under following the retirement of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmadullah (who is due to retire after the series).

Indian management has the problem of abundance, especially of the world’s best T20I bowlers, Ravi Bishnoi warmed the benches in the previous match and the new blood, Harshit Rana, has also proven his worth in the white-ball with KKR’s joint-second most wicket-taker (19) in the TATA IPL. But the problem is good, as quoted by the captain, Suryakumar Yadav. They have been cruising convincingly with their attacking approach incepted by the Rohit-Rahul combination ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Surya-Gambhir combination has also ripped sweet results from the same. 

Players who can make a real impact for their teams: 

Bangladesh: 

1. Litton Das has shown great potential across formats but has been shackled since 2023, so being an opener in the T20I format, the start from him and his partner would be crucial and would decide Bangladesh’s tempo for the innings. 
2. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was offered a comeback in the format but was not on the money as he scored 35 off 32 deliveries and took a wicket that couldn’t affect Bangladesh’s crushing against the hosts. He needs to take charge if comes to batting considering his position. 
3. Mohammad Mahmadullah, though Bangladesh hasn’t won a major trophy in his tenure, now has the opportunity to end his career on a high given the role he plays for the team as a finisher and power hitter and that’s exactly what Bangladesh lacked in the previous match, where he contributed just 1 run. 

India: 

1. Emphasizing the quality India possesses, Hardik Pandya is back again with his powerful shots after being looked at as an anchor for Gujarat Titans as well as for the National side. His 39 off 16 was the highlight of the match as India finished the game within 12 overs, and he also took a wicket to fulfill his all-rounder role.  
2. Sanju Samson has recovered from his 2 ducks in the series against Sri Lanka, scoring an impactful 29 with a strike rate of 15, which put India in a great position initially. Samwon would desperately want to bring his IPL form in the international circuit to be a regular in the XI with the retirement of two top-order batters (Virat and Rohit). 
3. Arshdeep Singh has so far played 13 T20I innings this year and has taken 27 wickets the most for his team. He has played 55 matches and now acquired enough experience to bowl in the format, he has 86 wickets, the 4th most for India, and is just behind Hardik Pandya (87), Jasprit Bumrah (89), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90), and Yuzvendra Chahal (96). With the form he is in, no doubt he can leap up to the top this year with the South Africa series yet to be played in early November. 

Pitch conditions: 

Arun Jaitely Stadium has conducted 5 IPL matches, which saw a total of 200 plus in 8 out of 10 innings, but with the luxury of calling in an impact player as a batter. But even without the luxury, fans can expect an entertaining and high-scoring encounter if Bangladesh’s batters can fire up their engines. 

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