- By Gurmeet Batra
- Mon, 07 Oct 2024 09:25 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs Bangladesh T20I Series: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged that his team's incapability to capitalize on the powerplay has been a significant barrier in T20I cricket.
India's aggressive approach paid dividends as they achieved the target in just 11.5 overs, winning with 49 balls to spare. India comprehensively defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in the first T20I at Gwalior, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Bangladesh's batting struggles continued, particularly in the powerplay, where they managed a meagre 39 runs in the first six overs after being put into bat. This slow start ultimately limited their total to 127.
The team's troubles were evident from the outset, as Litton Das fell cheaply in the first over, succumbing to a reckless shot. The recall of Parvez Hossain Emon did little to help Bangladesh's opening concerns, as he too failed to make an impact, chopping the ball onto his stumps.
"Powerplay is definitely a worry. The approach we talked about (before the game), it will be successful if we make a good start with the bat," Najmul told reporters after the opening game.
"We have to keep the wickets in the first six overs, and score runs in those. Otherwise, those coming in next, it become too challenging for them. We have struggled in the powerplay. Those batting in the power play must take more responsibility," he added.
Bangladesh captain identified skill-set and mentality as the key factors separating his team from India, following their defeat in the opening T20I. However, he was quick to defend his team's capabilities.
"I wouldn't say we played badly. We are a better team than this. We haven't done well in this format for a long time, but I don't believe we are such a bad team," said Najmul.
"I don't want to talk about any individual player. I think the batting unit didn't do well today. There will be aggression in the way we approach our scoring, but sometimes we have to select the balls correctly. We will think about it, but we can't rush in changing our approach," said the Bangladesh captain.
"We have the ability, but we have room for improvement in our skills. We have been batting in this way for the last ten years. Sometimes we do well. We have to make some changes, perhaps where we practice back home. We play on 140-150 wickets at home. Our batters don't know how to score 180 runs. I won't blame just the wickets, but we have to consider skills and mentality," he said.