GWALIOR, OCTOBER 7
Leg-break bowler Varun Chakravarthy took 3-31 on his return to international cricket as India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets with 49 balls remaining in the first Twenty20 on Sunday.
Chakravarthy, who last played T20Is in 2021, returned to the Indian lineup and helped bowl out Bangladesh for 127 runs in 19.5 overs. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also took 3-14.
In reply, India finished the game with 8.1 overs to spare. Its 132-3 in 11.5 overs was powered by Hardik Pandya's 16-ball 39 not out. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit 29 off 14 as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
India won the toss and opted to bowl in Gwalior's first international match since 2010. The hosts fielded two debutants in pacer Mayank Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Singh struck early in Bangladesh's innings - he bowled Parvez Hossain Emon for eight and Litton Das was out caught for four.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 27 and added 26 runs with Towhid Hridoy (12), before Chakravarthy pegged back the middle order. He had Hridoy caught for 12, and then bowled Jaker Ali for eight with Bangladesh down to 57-5 in 9.2 overs. The leg spinner took his third wicket – and his best return in T20s – by dismissing Rishad Hossain for 11 in the 14th over.
Mayank Yadav took 1-21 in four overs on debut – his first over in international cricket was a maiden. He claimed Mahmudullah's wicket, who was out caught in the eighth over for one run.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz top scored for Bangladesh with 35 not out off 32 balls, including three fours, and helped Bangladesh cross the 100-run mark.
In reply, India openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma put on 25 off only 12 balls. Sharma (16) was run out.
Samson, who has been moved up the batting order for this series, scored 29 off 19. He hit six classy boundaries, before throwing away his wicket in search of a first six. He was out caught in the eighth over.
India's Suryakumar Yadav smacked three sixes in his brief stay. He put on 40 off 21 balls with Samson for the third wicket, before he was out caught off Mustafizur Rahman.
India was down to 80-3 after Samson's dismissal, but Bangladesh didn't get a chance to come back.
Pandya and debutant Reddy put on 52 off 24 balls for the unbeaten fourth wicket, regaling the Sunday crowd at the newly built Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium.
Pandya smacked five fours and two sixes – hitting a strike rate of 240-plus – taking India across the finish line in a canter.
The second T20 will be played in Delhi on Wednesday.
