India secured a commanding 86-run victory over Bangladesh in the second T20I of the series, held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. With this win, India clinched the three-match series, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first. The visitors made one change to their lineup, with Tanzim Sakib replacing Shoriful Islam, while India fielded an unchanged side.
India did not have an ideal start, losing three early wickets for 45 runs in the powerplay. Sanju Samson (10), Abhishek Sharma (15), and Suryakumar Yadav (8) all departed in quick succession. Notably, this marked the first time in 16 T20Is that Bangladesh managed to take three Indian wickets inside the powerplay.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh then anchored the innings with a vital 100-run partnership. Reddy reached his maiden T20I fifty, becoming the fourth youngest Indian to achieve this milestone at 21 years and 136 days. Hardik Pandya’s cameo of 32 off 19 balls, along with Riyan Parag‘s quickfire 15 off 6, propelled India to a competitive total of 221/9, their highest score against Bangladesh in T20Is, surpassing the previous best of 196/5 set during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Bangladesh’s bowling attack saw contributions from Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mustafizur Rahman, each claiming two wickets, while Rishad Hossain picked up three wickets in the final over of the innings.
Bangladesh’s chase mirrored India’s early struggles, as they too lost three wickets within the powerplay for just 43 runs. Unlike India, however, Bangladesh could not build any significant partnerships. Mahmudullah stood out with a knock of 41 runs, but wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals. The relentless pressure from the Indian bowlers ensured that Bangladesh never gained momentum in their innings.
A remarkable feat was achieved by the Indian bowling unit, with seven bowlers taking wickets—the most ever by India in a T20I. This comprehensive performance restricted Bangladesh to 135, handing India their biggest victory over Bangladesh in T20Is by a margin of 86 runs, surpassing their previous best of a 50-run win in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was deservedly named the Player of the Match for his all-round performance, contributing 74 runs with the bat and picking up two crucial wickets. India’s 20th win of the calendar year gave them an impressive win percentage of 95.23—the highest ever for a team that has played at least 12 T20Is in a calendar year.
Scorecard:
India: 221/9, Overs 20, Nitish Kumar Reddy 74, Taskin Ahmed 2/16
Bangladesh: 135/9, Overs 20, Mahmudullah 41, Varun Chakaravarthy 2/19