India-Bangladesh T20I Series: No slowing down

Despite its inconsequential nature, India will be eagerly pursuing the twin goals of a series sweep and monitoring the progress of impressive second-line players during the third and final T20I against Bangladesh here on Saturday. India have already bagged the series 2-0 after wins at Gwalior and New Delhi.

This Indian bunch under Gautam Gambhir has shown an insatiable hunger for victory, and doubters can glance back at their result-oriented approach during the rain-marred Kanpur Test against the same opposition a few days ago.

Hence, they are unlikely to show any laxity here too as a 3-0 sweep will sit nicely along with the 2-0 margin in the preceding Test series.

Beyond the obvious, India will also look to add new pieces to their white-ball jigsaw puzzle ahead of some important assignments such as the Champions Trophy.

So, in a season teeming with showpiece events globally as well as bilaterally, it’s critical for the team to have multiple backup options.

In that context, it’s clear that Gambhir and his colleagues in the backroom have set in motion the process of finding able support cast to frontline players keeping in mind the long-term goals such as the ICC event next year. Be it pacer Mayank Yadav or spinner Varun Chakravarthy, Gambhir wants to take a closer look at them and assess their readiness for the sterner assays ahead.

They haven’t been disappointing either in this series. Mayank bowled at over 150kmph while Chakravarthy returned with a three-wicket haul in his first outing in blue in three years at Gwalior. The team management will also keep a close eye on the journey of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was impressive in the previous game while smashing a 34-ball 74.