India vs Bangladesh | 1st T20 International - Statistical Preview

ByBodog India, SportsCafe Editor

11/02/2019

Hosts India would be eager to get off to a winning start in the upcoming series which looks like an opportunity to check their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the World T20 next year. Bodog is siding with India in the first fixture and has given Bangladesh a slim chance to pull off the impossible.

Form Guide

India - L-W-N-W-W-W-L-L-L-W

The ‘Men in Blue’ have had an average record in the past 10 T20Is having won 5, lost 4, while the other was abandoned without a ball being bowled. It was expected that India would emerge victorious in the recently concluded series at home against South Africa but slipped after a loss in the final tie in Bengaluru which levelled the series 1-1. The last series Kohli and Co. won was against the West Indies it the USA while the 0-2 loss to Australia in February 2019 at home was a bitter pill to swallow for the team. This will be a great opportunity for India to gain some momentum in the build-up to the World T20 next year, but Virat Kohli will give the series a miss.

Bangladesh - N-W-W-L-W-L-W-L-W-W

The Bangla Tigers have had a decent record of late having won six and lost three, along with one abandoned game. While most of their wins have come against weaker opponents like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, they would be fairly disappointed to lose the deciding match of the series against the West Indies at home last December. But they would draw inspiration from a memorable away series win to West Indies back in 2018 before taking the flight to India. Bangladesh is going to miss the services of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal for the upcoming series which could be decisive come the end of the tour.

Head to head

India : 8, Bangladesh : 0

Bangladesh : 0, India : 8

Key Batsmen

Rohit Sharma

The stylish batsman has been India’s most lethal weapon in the limited-overs format in recent times and it is going to be no different in the upcoming T20 series against neighbours Bangladesh. Rohit’s record in the shortest format is not by any means sub-standard having already scored 2443 runs which include 4 centuries at an average of 32.14. When facing Bangladesh, his numbers improve. In the 8 matches he faced Bangladesh, he has scored 4 half-centuries at an average of 44.50. This is the sole reason for which Bodog is heavily backing the batsman to top score for the hosts in the 1st T20I.

Mushfiqur Rahim

One of Bangladesh’s most successful batsman ever, Mushfiqur Rahim has been their backbone for years. In spite of guiding his nation to many successful wins in One-Day Internationals, he has somehow looked ordinary in T20 Internationals. With a meagre average of 19.68 and just four half-centuries to his name, Rahim is not the one you would pick for a T20 game. But the experience he brings with him is vital for the team which will be missing Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. The batsman’s top score against India was an unbeaten 72 at Colombo last year. If Bangladesh aims to put up a surprising upset, Rahim will play a key role as per Bodog’s prediction.

India is fielding a relatively inexperienced bowling line-up in the first T20. Bodog predicts Khaleel Ahmed to shine in the match, who do you think?

Key Bowlers

Deepak Chahar

Relatively new to the International circuit, the pacer had made his T20 International debut just last year in England, where he picked up a single wicket. After a one-year gap, he made a comeback during India’s third match against West Indies at the United States of America. Chahar bowled an extraordinary spell which saw him pick up three early wickets and steering India to a win. The upcoming match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi is going to be his fifth International cap, but we are already expecting him to deliver with big guns like Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar missing from the squad. Bodog is also pretty confident that Khaleel Ahmed is going to be the pick of the bowlers in the 1st T20, but Chahar might be India’s trump card.

Mustafizur Rahman

The speedster has been a regular among the wickets since making his International debut in 2015 and became a household name when he featured in the Indian Premier League. His record, especially in T20, has been a notch above his compatriots, having scalped 52 wickets in the 34 matches he played in national colours at an average of 18.71. Even though Mustafizur’s record against India is nothing to brag about, he is going to be a key member in the bowling line-up for Bangladesh in the first T20 International. ‘The Fizz’, as he is affectionately known, has been shortlisted by Bodog to become the most effective bowler for his team in the first game of the series.

Venue statistics

Even though the infamous Arun Jaitley Stadium has hosted five T20 Internationals, India featured in only 1 match. The last T20I played at the venue was back in 2017 when India outclassed New Zealand in the opening tie of the series which they eventually won 2-1. While 202, by India in the aforementioned game, is the highest total by any team at the venue, teams prefer to field first at the venue. Incidentally, 3 out of 5 times, the team batting first have won. In spite of the factors, the venue remains a batsman’s happy hunting ground.

Bodog prediction

While India is the outright favourites to win the match as per the recent records and the head to head stats, yet Bangladesh should not be taken lightly especially in the Indian sub-continent. As per Bodog’s predictions, Rohit Sharma and Mushfiqur Rahim are likely to shine with the bat while Mustafizur Rahman and Khaleel to be the pick of the bowlers for their respective teams.

Bodog

Squads

India

Rohit Sharma(Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(wk), Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur

Bangladesh

Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Animul Islam, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaiful Islam, Abu Haider Rony, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam.

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

When to watch: November 3, 2019, 7 PM

Where to watch: Hotstar and Star Network

You can also follow the swings of the game on Bodog - to get an idea about the final outcome of the game

Predicted XI's