ICC T20 WC 2024: Pant, Pandya shune as India ease past Bangladesh

Ray Sportz News Desk: Rohit Sharma led Indian Cricket started their preparation for the T20 World Cup in style, as they beat Bangladesh by 60 runs in the only warm-up game on Saturday. Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya showed character with the bat, whereas bowlers also bowled really well to restrict the Bangladesh batters in the middle.

Pant’s 53 (32b, 4×4, 4×6), who was making his India comeback after that horrific car accident in December 2022, and Hardik Pandya’s equally pleasing (40 not out, 23b, 2×4, 4×6) led India to a competitive 182 for five after opting to bat first.

India faced little trouble in defending the total as left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh found his bowling wares, leading the restriction of Bangladesh to 122 for nine.

There was a token fightback from Mahmudullah Riyaz (40 retired out; 28b, 4×4, 1×6) and Shakib Al Hasan (28), who milked 75 runs for the sixth-wicket.

But it helped Bangladesh only to reduce the margin of defeat after they were reduced to 41 for five.

Arshdeep, who had a less than satisfactory outing in the IPL for Punjab Kings, struck twice inside the Power Play, ousting Soumya Sarkar, caught behind by Pant, and Litton Das, who was bowled by a lovely in-curler from over the wicket.

Fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj added the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) as they slipped to 10 for three in 3.5 overs, and it was too deep a hole to claw back against a competent bowling unit, which has good variety through the ranks.

The Indian bowlers also showed excellent skills to exploit a slow pitch which was also aided by an equally sluggish outfield where the ball did not roll along. Pacer Shivam Dube also chipped in with two wickets (2/11).

For Bangladesh, the defeat was a continuation of their gloomy build-up to the World Cup as they had recently lost the three-match T20I series against the USA 1-2.