🏏 Bangladesh tour of India 2024: 3rd T20 Ind vs BD at Hyderabad🏏

🏏 Bangladesh tour of India 2024: 3rd T20 Ind vs Ban at Hyderabad🏏

Delhi's heat has given way to some welcome showers in Hyderabad, but that might be the only surprise in store for this dead rubber, with another belter of a track expected for the clash. Delhi was evidence of how the gap between the teams seemed to widen on a flatter pitch, and that trend could continue in Hyderabad, offering little respite to the visitors.

For India, with the series already sealed, the third and final T20I feels like an opportunity to test their bench strength. But don't expect a lack of intensity. Gautam Gambhir's competitive spirit is well known, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate made it clear that the team has its sights set on a "5-0" clean sweep.

"Ideally yes, we want to finish with a win, obviously. The messaging again from Gauti [Gautam Gambhir], the importance of each game playing for your country and also putting yourself under pressure every time. So there is absolutely no talk about not putting that as the focus for tomorrow. We want to win and complete a 3-0 series," Ryan said.

While India might have little to gain from this match, Bangladesh have much to lose. Their best day on the tour remains the opening day of the opening Test in Chennai, when the pacers dismantled India's top order in favourable conditions, and they are yet to cross the finishing line on this trip to India. Finishing on a winning note would be high up on their agenda, especially with one of their veterans in Mahmudullah saying goodbye to the format.

When: 3rd T20I, October 12, 2024, 7:00 PM local

Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

What to expect: A whole lot of runs. The venue in Uppal has hosted 14 T20s since 2022 (13 IPL + 1 T20I), and there's an equal split between sides choosing to bat first and second. The average first-inning total in those 14 games has been 188, which swells up to 199 in victories.

The teams may have some wet weather to contend with. India's practice session on the eve of the match was interrupted due to rain and there are more showers predicted for game day. The good news is that the venue has some excellent drainage.

Bangladesh would want to earn their maiden win of this tour to end it on a high. Bangladesh's batting has been a major letdown this series while their bowling has delivered but sporadically. Can their batters come to the party tonight and their bowlers produce something on the Hyderabad surface?

Hyderabad Pitch Report And Conditions

Don't be surprised if it's a belter of a track at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. In IPL 2024, 200 runs were posted thrice batting first at this very venue and all on the three occasions they had gone on to win the match. However, with a forecast of rain in Hyderabad this evening and the DLS method likely to come into play, captain winning the toss might want to bowl first.

Team news:

INDIA

Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that Sanju Samson will get another hit at the top. Moreover, fast bowler Harshit Rana is in line for a debut. Ravi Bishnoi might get a game after seeing India go with Varun Chakaravarthy for the first couple of matches. India play a T20I next on November 8 in Durban, so they might stick to having Hardik Pandya in the side.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Nitish Reddy, Hardik Pandya/Jitesh Sharma, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana

Tactics & Matchups: Like in Delhi, India might want to get in more overs from their part-time bowlers. But while they bat, watch out for Abhishek Sharma, who was a revelation playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last IPL season. At this venue, the left-handed opener has 324 runs at a strike-rate of over 203.

Team news:

BANGLADESH

The visitors could bring in Mahedi Hasan, who had an extended workout in the middle on match eve.

Probable XI: Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali/Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman

Tactics & Matchups: Litton Das is a bit of a worry for Bangladesh. He has only one fifty-plus score in his last eight innings and the next-highest score he's made is 16. But he remains one of the only batters in their ranks who's capable of muscling the ball and taking Bangladesh to a power score.

Did you know?

- Sanju Samson has an IPL hundred at this venue, scored back in 2019

- India have won 15 of the 16 T20Is between the sides

- Mahmudullah will finish his T20I career with 141 caps. Shakib Al Hasan is the next most experienced player for them in the format, with 129 caps.

What they said

A little bit like when we got to Delhi the other day, you don't want to read too much into the data. We probably feel that those first three wickets we lost was maybe going a little bit hard. The wicket was a little bit sticky in Delhi. So we will have a look at this wicket. We are aware of the high-scoring nature of this pitch during the IPL but also we are five months away from the IPL now so conditions could change as well. - Ryan ten Doeschate, India assistant coach

We have a very different way of looking at things. We played against the best team in the world, India. If we measure pure outcome, there are a lot of countries with bad tours in India. What we have to look at is the learning, we have to look at the future of what we have coming up with the champions trophy, T20s and we have to look at the end of some of the legends that are finishing for Bangladesh. We look at the tour in a very different way. - Nic Pothas, Bangladesh assistant coach

India are expected not to take the foot off the gas and would rather look to clean sweep the series when they meet Bangladesh in the third T20I in Hyderabad on Saturday.

With an inexperienced squad, India have showcased tremendous T20 skills on the park in the absence of their regular players.

Despite losing three wickets inside the powerplay in Delhi, India posted their highest T20I score against Bangladesh with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh rising to the occasion with a 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket. India posted a massive 222, which eventually proved too much for the visitors to scale and could manage only 135 for 9. Playing in his second T20I, Nitish displayed great batting skills by slamming a 34-ball 74.

The only concern for India has been the form of their openers who have been unable to convert the starts, however, the hosts would still persist with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

After winning the series 2-0 in Delhi, India would be tempted to test their bench without bothering much about the match result as Bangladesh would like to put their best foot forward in Mahmadullah's farewell T20I match.

Bangladesh's seamers have performed well in the two matches but it is their top-order batters and spinners who have failed to deliver. A consolation win over India would definitely give them a lot of confidence for the season ahead.

The Indian team management may try out the bench but it would be difficult to accommodate all of them in the playing XI. Ravi Bishnoi, Tilak Verma, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana are the players who would be really keen to get a game under their belt. Bishnoi and Rana in all probability could replace Varun Chakravarthy and Mayank Yadav respectively. Jitesh may get a run in if India decide to drop Samson.

As India immerses itself in the festive spirit, cricket enthusiasts have been treated to an exhilarating two-format series between India and Bangladesh. The cricketing journey that began in Chennai with the two-match Test series has traversed the length of the country, making a stop in New Delhi before reaching its final destination. Now, the thrilling saga culminates in Hyderabad, where the iconic Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium stands ready to host the third and decisive T20I match. This grand finale promises to be the crescendo of what has been an exhilarating tour, captivating fans from coast to coast with its blend of traditional and modern cricket formats. While India has already secured the series victory, this last encounter offers more than meets the eye. Though some may dismiss it as a dead rubber, Bangladesh enters the fray with a point to prove. The visitors aim to salvage their pride and avoid a clean sweep, a fate they suffered in the preceding Test series, and give a consolation send off to their veteran player Mahmudullah. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the Indian team has absolutely outplayed their neighbours. Contributions have come from all the departments - be it batting, bowling, or fielding. However, even in the face of such overwhelming success, there remain areas for improvement and intrigue. The top order, featuring talents like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, has yet to live up to its full potential. While these batters have managed to get off to promising starts, they've struggled to convert these openings into significant innings. Fortunately for India, any shortcomings at the top have been more than compensated for by the middle order's resilience. The biggest highlight from the previous game was a blistering knock by Nitish Kumar Reddy who impressed everyone and marked his arrival in this format in style.