Basit Ali: ‘This Isn’t India’s T20I Team, It’s IPL XI’
Yeh Indian ki T20I team nahi IPL XI hai” – says ex-Pakistan batsman Basit Ali
While taking an immediate look at India’s recent T20I performance, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali expressed his surprise at how Bangladesh’s graph has tumbled down after their historic victory in a two-Test series against Pakistan. Ali asked how the same team which had whitewashed Pakistan in a 2-0 Test series had such a dismal outing against India.
“Is this really the same Bangladesh team that beat Pakistan 2-0? You saw their performance in the Test matches against India. They lost the first one and in the second they were defeated in virtually two days. Even the rain could not save them, ” said Ali.
The visitors then managed to turn this around with an imperious 280-run victory in Chennai, following it up with a clinical seven-wicket win in Kanpur. With two days having been washed out by rain, India won the series 2-0. Ali hailed India’s dominance and how even India’s back-up players made Bangladesh look like an “appetizer.”
Young India team is Dominant
More pleasing for Ali was the bench strength of India, especially the young stars from the IPL, led by Suryakumar Yadav. He said that these players made Bangladesh look like some sort of minor challenge as they took over the game.
“India has changed cricket with their dominance. Bangladesh is merely an appetizer for them,” Ali said.
It was extraordinary that India managed a win when they were without several key personnel for a period. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and many others were absent from the ranks, but India still managed to win in just 11.5 overs with the completion of a six by Hardik Pandya.
“This isn’t even India’s main team; this is their IPL eleven,” Ali said, pointing out how this depth in the squad is reshaping international cricket.
Dream Debuts for Mayank Yadav
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy received the two debut caps for India in the match. India, meanwhile, bowled out Bangladesh for an easy target of 127 with Arshdeep Singh giving way with 3-14 and Varun Chakravarthy with 3-31. Hardik Pandya saw India through to a comfortable seven-wicket win with his fiery 39 in just 16 balls, laced with five boundaries and two sixes.
Ali went on to praise Yadav for his performance on debut, especially for a good amount of pace and control. Mayank, fresh off from injury, bowled a maiden over and even sent one across at 149.8 km/h that really made Bangladesh’s batsmen well and truly on the back foot.
It was a dream debut for Mayank Yadav. He bowled a maiden over and even clocked 149.8 km/h. Imagine what he can do when he’s fully fit. He scared the batsmen today. I hope he remains fit for India’s upcoming tour of Australia,” said Ali.
He further rubbed salt into this firepower in India’s pace attack with Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj coming alongside Yadav. Ali was salivating at the prospects of India’s pacers on the bouncy pitches in Australia.
“Let Australia prepare bouncy wickets, then we’ll see what happens. With these four pacers, India will be a tough challenge,” he added.
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A Packed Schedule for India
Right after the Bangladesh T20I series, India will play New Zealand which comprises three Tests. After that, India hops on a plane that heads down under aura as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is to be engaged in where five Tests are to be divided by some medium-minded limits. It will be an absolute test of India’s depth and their coming-of-age young talent.
What with the retirement of key players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from the format, India’s T20I team has given ample reason to look forward to the new talents taking center stage. With such depth in the squad, Indian cricket cannot get brighter.
FAQs
Q: Which player was impressive in the first T20I against Bangladesh?
A: Among them, fast bowler Mayank Yadav shone on his debut with his maiden over and a top speed of 149.8 km/h. The quickfire 39 by Hardik Pandya was another highlight.
Q: Why Basit Ali referred to Bangladesh as an “appetizer”?
A: Basit Ali referred to Bangladesh as an “appetizer” because, with a young relatively inexperienced side, India dominated Bangladesh easily, hence being a minor challenge.
Q: What is the future commitment that India have after the Bangladesh series?
A: India will first have a three-Test series against New Zealand, and upon the completion of that, move over to Australia to play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy composed of five Tests.
Q: What was unique about India’s pace attack in the first T20I against Bangladesh?
A: Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy carried the day in terms of the pace attack aspect and it was Mayank Yadav the new bowler who put the Bangladesh occupational batting line to the sword.