India vs Bangladesh | 3rd T20I - Statistical Preview

ByBodog India, SportsCafe Editor

11/09/2019

India gave a fitting reply on Thursday evening after a disappointing loss to Bangladesh in the opening T20I last weekend. While India are yet to win a T20 series at home in 2019, this will be a perfect opportunity for them to break the jinx with Bodog also backing the hosts to win the Nagpur match.

Form guide

India – W-L-L-W-NR-W-W-W-L-L

The ‘average’ performance by India in recent times somewhat deviated script after a convincing win over Bangladesh in the last T20I. With the stakes high in the third and final T20I, India would not want to make the mistake of being complacent while facing an upbeat Bangladesh side. In their last 10 T20I matches, India have won 5 and lost 4, with the other one ending up as a no result. A win on Sunday will not only ensure a much-awaited T20 series victory at home but also boost their confidence in the build-up to the two-Test series against the Tigers.

Bangladesh – L-W-NR-W-W-L-W-L-W-L

Co-incidentally, Bangladesh have a similar track record in the past year or so, having won 5, lost 4 with one match ending as a no result. But the fact that they managed to defeat India for the first time in a T20I and that too in their own den was a remarkable feat. It will give them enough motivation to put up a competitive showing in Nagpur and if they manage to pull off the coup and win the series, it is going to be a big achievement for Mahmudullah and his men.

Key Batsmen

Rohit Sharma

After a faulty start to the series, Rohit Sharma steered India to a comfortable victory in Rajkot. His blistering knock of 85 was more than Bangladesh could handle and the right-hander will once again hold the cards for India in the deciding match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Although his recent record in the shortest format isn’t inspiring, Rohit is still one of the best batsmen in the trade, scoring 2537 runs at an average of 32.52 in the 100 matches he has played so far with a top score of 118. Bodog seems satisfied with the numbers and have decided to back him as the top scorer for India in the third T20.

Mushfiqur Rahim

The Bangladeshi is by far the most experienced batsman in the team and proved his value in the first T20 where he single-handedly led his side to their first-ever T20I victory over arch-rivals India. But to the visitors' dismay, he failed to keep up the momentum in the second T20 in Rajkot and was dismissed for 4 runs. With the series level at 1-1, Mushfiqur Rahim will get another shot to show his prowess and clinch a rare away series win for the Tigers on foreign soil. Despite his overall batting average being just a notch over 20, it, however, takes a steep rise to 38.16 whenever he comes up against India, which is why Bodog has predicted that he will play a pivotal role for Bangladesh in the deciding clash.

Even though India put up a 118-run opening stand in the previous, Bodog is not convinced that the pair would up around 26 runs for the first wicket. What do you think?

Key Bowlers

Mustafizur Rahman

In spite of the hype revolving around the speedster ever since his debut in international cricket, Mustafizur’s form has never been affected by distractions. However, he is yet to deliver in the ongoing series and went wicketless in each of the opening two T20Is in Delhi and Rajkot respectively. Having said that, it would indeed be foolish to write-off a match-winner like Mustafizur in a series decider against the mighty Indians. While taking 52 wickets in 36 matches is a commendable achievement, his performance dips considerably when he bowls to Indian batsman. But on Sunday, he will have a golden opportunity to break the jinx and rise to the occasion in the series decider. Against the recent trend, Bodog has shown faith in the left-arm bowler to make the difference for Bangladesh in Nagpur.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The leg spinner has shown meteoric rise since he was first inducted into the Indian limited-overs setup. But the hard truth is that he still needs that extra effort to establish himself as a regular in the playing XI. In T20Is though, Chahal has been an invaluable addition to the squad, having already played 33 matches and taken 49 wickets at an average of 20.89 with best figures of 6 for 25. Against Bangladesh, the wrist spinner has taken 8 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 13.75, which is pretty remarkable. Chahal chipped in with a spell of 2 for 28 in Rajkot which proved vital in the context of the game and hence Bodog suggests that he is likely to shine with the ball in the last T20 as well.

Venue Statistics

So far, 11 T20 matches have been played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. On average, 276 runs have been scored and 13 wickets have fallen per match, with teams batting first winning 8 of the 11 matches. It has not been a happy hunting ground for India, however, having lost two of the three matches they've played at the venue. India narrowly defeated England in the last T20I played over here back in 2017. This has been a relatively low scoring ground with the pitch predominantly helping the spinners to a large extent and with the likes of Animul Islam and Yuzvendra Chahal in their respective squads, the batsmen will have their task cut out in the middle on Sunday.

And despite India putting up a 118-run opening stand in the previous T20I, Bodog is still not convinced that the opening pair of Rohit and Shikhar would put together more than 26 runs for the first wicket. What do you think?

Bodog Predictions

While Shikhar Dhawan has been among the runs in the previous two T20Is, he has failed to convert them into big scores. But given that he is a big-match player, we can expect a match-winning knock from him in the series decider, even though Bodog predicts that its is unlikely that he would reach the 50-run mark.

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: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

When to watch: November 10, 2019, 7 PM

Where to watch: Hotstar and Star Network

Can India trump Bangladesh in the series decider? Or Bangladesh will create history? To get all the live updates, follow Bodog.

Predicted XIs

India

Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), Krunal Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed