Team India registered a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first game of the three-match T20I series in Gwalior on Sunday (October 6).

Opting to bowl first, the hosts bundled out the visitors for a low total of 127 runs in 19.5 overs as Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy claimed three wickets each.

In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target in just 11.5 overs thanks to sizeable contributions from Hardik Pandya (39* off 16), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14) and Sanju Samson (29 off 19).

After the dominant performance, captain Suryakumar expressed his delight and stated that the team showed character to pull off their plans with aplomb.

“We just tried to back our skills and what we decided in the team meeting, we just walked the talk,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“The way the guys showed their character on the field, the first time playing on a new ground, and the way we batted, showed our character,” he added.

The series opener saw two IPL 2024 breakout stars, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy, receive their maiden India caps.

While Mayank returned with figures of 1/21 in four overs on debut, Reddy played an unbeaten knock of 16 during the chase and also bowled two overs for 17 runs.

Suryakumar was excited about the newcomers as he said: “Very excited and looking forward to seeing them in the next games. It’s a good headache to have when you are on the field when you have extra bowling options.”

The Indian also emphasized the benefits of learning from each game and expressed his willingness to improve on particular areas ahead of the second T20I in Delhi on Wednesday (October 9).

“You always learn something new playing every game. There will be a few areas to improve, we’ll sit down and talk about it before the next game,” he concluded.