Bangladesh eye historic series win in India

Overview

India v Bangladesh
2nd T20I
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Thursday, 7 November; 7:00pm local time, 1:30pm GMT

The win in Delhi in tough conditions was just what Bangladesh needed after a tumultuous few weeks, and with several of their big names missing. The visitors showed maturity in taking the game deep on a slow surface and were rewarded for it.

India will be under pressure to avoid another limited-overs series defeat at home: they lost to Australia earlier in the year, and drew with South Africa.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India's concern is their death bowling. Shardul Thakur is another bowling option for captain Rohit Sharma, while Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey are batsmen waiting on the bench. India, though, might choose to give their playing XI a longer rope before forcing any drastic changes.

What happened last time

In the series opener in Delhi, Mushfiqur Rahim exploded after a steady start to take Khaleel Ahmed for 18 in the penultimate over, and chase down India's 148/6 with seven wickets and three balls to spare. His match-winning 60* came off 43 balls, while Mohammad Naim (26) and Soumya Sarkar (39) made handy contributions.

Before those fireworks, on a tricky surface for batting, captain Mahmudullah used eight bowlers to put pressure on the Indian top order. Shafiul Islam and Aminul Islam picked up two wickets each, while Afif Hossain impressed with figures of 1/11 in three overs. Shikhar Dhawan made a laboured 41 off 42 balls, but few other Indian batsmen could kick on.

What they said

Yuzvendra Chahal, India leg-spinner: "It is not about pressure. It is a three-game series, not a knockout game, so obviously one will win, one will lose, and that day they played better than us. We are one down and still two matches to go, and obviously if we believe in ourselves, we will come back."

Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh wicket-keeper batsman: "I said to the journalists before leaving Bangladesh that the only way to return to the right track would be with a couple of wins in India. It will bring back smiles and calmness to the team and the nation."

Conditions

While pollution threatened the first T20I in Delhi, the Rajkot game could be hit by inclement weather. A cyclone in the nearby coastal region is expected to bring rain. The groundsmen, though, are confident in the efficiency of the drainage system and expect a game if rain is limited to the morning or early afternoon of match-day. While rain might slow the outfield, the pitch itself is expected to offer plenty of runs.