India will be playing against Bangladesh in the first T20I of their three-match series this Sunday, October 10 in Gwalior. The star players- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who announced retirement from T20 internationals after this year’s T20 World Cup- will not be seen in action. Attention will be more on India’s middle order- Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, and Rinku Singh vying for the finisher’s role.

Who Can Be The Top Two Finishers For Team India?

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik opined both Pandya and Parag to take on the finishing duties assigned in the designated role, in a column on Cricbuzz. Parag has so far played six matches, scoring 57 runs with a strike rate of 111.76. Additionally, he claimed three wickets at 6.48 runs.

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Dinesh Karthik Names Hardik Pandya & Riyan Parag

“For finishers, I have a lot of time for Riyan Parag and Hardik Pandya. Pandya as a finisher is again someone very special. He has won games. Yes, he has batted for Gujarat Titans slightly up the order in between IPL, I did think he enjoyed that role a lot more. But I think he will be looked at as the finisher,” he said.

“India will do well with two strong finishers. Bat speed is needed, Riyan Parag has got pure muscle and a lot of skill in terms of hitting a ball. Add to the fact that they are proper all-rounders, India is going to be a different team here on in T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy as well,” he added.

India Vs Bangladesh, T20I Series

Although the series might not produce competitive tension since the Indians have lost to Bangladesh just once in 14 matches, all eyes will also be on young pace sensation Mayank Yadav. He did impress during his debut IPL season, going as fast as 150 km/h or more. The T20Is against Bangladesh will present a test of his fitness as well as his temperament under pressure.

Also Read: IND Vs BAN, 1st T20I: Live Streaming, Weather & Pitch Report- All You Need To Know

Team India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Nitish Reddy, Tilak Varma, Harshit Rana.