India lit up the festive season with batting fireworks in Hyderabad.
Opener Sanju Samson and skipper Suryakumar Yadav were in a murderous mood as they beat the Bangladesh bowlers to a pulp in the third and final T20I. The result — 297/6, an Everest of a total.
It was the second-highest total in the history of T20Is and the highest among the Test-playing nations. India’s previous best T20I total was 260/5, made against Sri Lanka in 2017 in Indore.
It would have taken a miracle for Bangladesh to overhaul that target. In the end, they finished on 164/7, losing the game by 133 runs.
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his half century during the third and final T20 International cricket match between India and Bangladesh at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. PTI
Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy tried their best, but that was never going to be enough. While Litton contributed 42 off 25 balls, Hridoy made an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls.
After a 2-0 sweep in the Test series, India pocketed the T20Is 3-0.
Samson crafted his maiden T20I hundred off 40 balls. It is the second fastest T20I century by an Indian after Rohit Sharma (35 balls). He finished on 111 off 47 balls and smashed 11 boundaries and eight sixes. Five of those sixes came back to back in one over — the 10th over of the innings, bowled by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
Suryakumar (75, 35 balls, 8x4, 5x6) was not to be left behind as he too dazzled with his strokeplay. Together, Samson and Surya put up 173 runs for the second wicket.
Samson, who has to make the most of his chances to hold on to his place in the team, hadn’t done much in his first two outings in the series. He was hungry and feasted on the Bangladesh bowlers.
The keeper-batter made his intentions clear when he pummelled pacer Taskin Ahmed for four consecutive fours in the second over of the innings. The most stunning shot in Samson’s innings was a six off the backfoot off pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
Surya reached his fifty off just 23 balls.
Once, Samson and Surya departed, Hardik Pandya (47, 18 balls, 4x4, 4x6) and Riyan Parag (34, 13 balls, 1x4, 4x6) tormented the visiting bowlers further as the team raced towards a record total.
