India post 182 in 20 overs in New York!

Bangladesh faced India in their final preparation match before the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. The coin toss did not favor the Bangladesh captain. Despite an early success for Bangladesh, Rishabh Pant quickly shattered the efforts of Shakib Al Hasan and Shariful Islam. Pant scored fifty off 32 balls before leaving the field, and Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya continued the onslaught on the Tiger bowlers. Consequently, India posted a total of 182 runs for 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Among the Bangladesh bowlers, Shakib Al Hasan was the most expensive, conceding 47 runs in his 4-over quota. In contrast, Sheikh Mehedi performed exceptionally well, taking one wicket for just 22 runs. Rishabh Pant's impressive comeback to international cricket saw him score 53 runs off 32 balls. In the final stages, Hardik Pandya played a cameo of 40 runs off 23 balls.

Bangladesh rested their star pacers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman for this match. Winning the toss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma opted to bat first. Bangladesh made a promising start with the ball. Sanju Samson, who scored just one run off six balls, was dismissed in the second over of the innings. He missed the line of a delivery from Shariful Islam and lost his wicket.

Rishabh Pant, coming in at number three, immediately launched an assault, supported well by captain Rohit Sharma. In the final over of the power play, Pant hit Shakib for three sixes, making him concede a total of 22 runs in that over. As a result, India had 55 runs on the board after 6 overs. In the next over, Mahmudullah Riyad brought success to the team by dismissing Rohit Sharma for 23 runs.

Pant completed his fifty in the first ball of the 12th over, hitting Shakib for a boundary. However, he retired out after scoring 53 runs off 32 balls, with an equal number of fours and sixes (four each). Pant showcased his special shots, including no-look shots and one-handed sixes, impressing everyone in New York.

After Pant's departure, Shivam Dube unleashed his aggression but his onslaught was cut short by Riyad's brilliant fielding. Running to the boundary line, Riyad managed to save a certain six and took a spectacular catch after several attempts. Hardik Pandya then continued the attack with the bat, although Suryakumar Yadav lost his wicket for 32 runs.

Tanvir, who conceded three sixes in the first three balls of his over, managed to control the damage in the remaining three balls, giving away only one run and taking a wicket. India lost their fifth wicket at 159 runs. Despite putting pressure on Ravindra Jadeja, the Tigers couldn't contain Hardik Pandya's power hitting.

Overall, the match was a high-scoring encounter that tested the mettle of the Bangladesh bowling attack against a strong Indian batting lineup.