 "Senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashed an unbeaten 39 off 16 balls to guide India to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I in Gwalior. AP")
After sweeping the Test series against Bangladesh 2-0 with dominant victories in Chennai and Kanpur, Team India began the T20I series against the same opponents with a similarly comfortable victory in Gwalior on Sunday.
In a match that witnessed the international debuts of pacer Mayank Yadav and batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, India not only bowled Bangladesh out for a modest 127 after opting to field, they ended up chasing the target down with seven wickets and 8.1 overs to spare.
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And while pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/14) and leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy (3/31) played key roles in restricting the Tigers to the modest total with their three-wicket hauls, senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya played the role of finisher to perfection with his unbeaten 39 off 16 deliveries that contained five fours and two sixes.
Among the standout moments from Pandya’s whirlwind knock was the all-rounder’s no-look shot off Taskin Ahmed’s bowling in what would prove to be the final over of the match.
Taskin bowled a short-of-length ball along the middle stump in the third delivery of the 12th over, and Pandya did not even look back while arching his back and ramping the ball over wicketkeeper Litton Das’ head.
Watch the audacious shot here:
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPandya would then collect another boundary next ball despite the ball slipping out of his grasp, before finishing the game with a mighty six, pulling a short ball towards deep midwicket in the penultimate delivery of the 12th over.
India were in a fairly comfortable position when Pandya arrived at the crease thanks to the rapid starts from Sanju Samson (29 off 19) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14).
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Once the Mumbai Indians captain arrived at the crease, debutant Reddy was reduced to a mere spectator as Pandya single-handedly toyed with the Bangladeshi attack for the remainder of the game to setup an easy victory for the Men in Blue, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.