India vs Bangladesh: Suryakumar says there are 'few areas to improve' despite win in 1st T20I; Najmul calls for better planning

India captain Suryakumar Yadav was pleased with his team’s performance in their seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first T20I on Sunday, but said that there still remained a few areas where the Men in Blue could improve. Arshdeep Singh (3/14) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/31) led a splendid bowling performance to dismiss Bangladesh to 127 after India fielded first.

India, however, lost Abhishek Sharma (16) early in their reply despite a brisk start and Sanju Samson also looked set for a big knock before being dismissed for 29 in the eighth over. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (16*) and Hardik Pandya (39*) forged a 52-run stand for the fourth wicket to seal India’s chase with 49 balls to spare.

As it happened | India vs Bangladesh 1st T20I in Gwalior  

“We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in our team meetings, it worked out. The way the guys showed character playing on a new ground and the way we batted, it was great,” Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

More from First Cricket News

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Match LIVE Updates: Amid boycott call, Men In Blue get ready to face arch-rivals in Dubai BCCI defends decision to play vs Pakistan in Asia Cup months after Pahalgam attack: 'If we boycott...'

India used seven bowlers on Sunday, including debutants Mayank Yadav and Nitish Reddy. Mayank finished with figures of 1/21 whereas Nitish Reddy registered figures of 0/17. Suryakumar Yadav said that having extra bowling options were a “good headache”.

“Very excited and looking forward to seeing them in the next games. It’s a good headache to have when you are on the field when you have extra bowling options. You always learn something new playing every game. There will be a few areas to improve, we’ll sit down and talk about it before the next game,” he concluded.

‘We need a better plan’  

Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh were outplayed in every department and the captain called for better planning and the need for rotating strike in the upcoming matches. Bangladesh batters hardly got time to settle and the Tigers lacked consistent partnerships. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the team’s top-scorer as Bangladesh collapsed for 127.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

“We didn’t start well. In T20s, the first six overs are very important but we didn’t start well. The plan was to play positive cricket and play with intent from the first ball but we had to manage some overs. We need a better plan for the next matches. If we had some wickets in hand, we could have scored 10-15 runs more,” he said.

According to the 26-year-old, the total of 127 was difficult for Bangladesh to defend. “Bowling-wise, we didn’t have enough runs on the board. Very hard for the bowlers on a pitch like this. We needed more runs. But I think Rishad bowled well and Fizz as well,” he said. Mustafizur Rahman finished with figures of 1/36, whereas Rishad Hossain registered 0/26.

‘The more you play, the better you get’

Arshdeep Singh maintained his brilliant form in the shortest format with figures of 3/14 and was adjudged Player of the Match.

“There’s breeze from the end I was bowling. I didn’t get the wicket the way I wanted but the ball is coming good from the hand. It’s minor changes in the run-up, in the wrist, I keep learning and exploring things. The experience is there, the more you play the better you get,” said the 25 year-old.

Arshdeep had a special praise for Mayank Yadav. “Really excited the way everyone bowled, especially Mayank. Even my normal balls felt like slower balls compared to his pace. In this format the best thing you can do is adapt to different pitches and conditions,” the Punjab cricketer added.