3rd T20I: Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana in focus as India eye clean sweep

Bangladesh have been handed a reality check in their tour of India. Having beaten Pakistan 2-0 away from home in Tests, a confident Bangladesh side would have hoped to put up a strong fight against the Indian team. However, the Najmul Shanto side are now staring down a 0-5 whitewash against their neighbours as they gear up to play the 3rd and final match of the series.
Bangladesh were outplayed in both Test matches of the series against India. The second Test match in Kanpur was particularly disastrous for them as they managed to lose the match despite more than 2 days of play being washed away due to rain and wet outfield.
But somehow, Bangladesh were even poorer in the T20I series. In the first match in Gwalior, Bangladesh fell nearly 70-80 runs short of the par score. The Indian batting unit was so dominant in the game that they managed to chase down 128 runs in just 11.5 overs, courtesy of quick starts from openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma and then a whirlwind knock from Hardik Pandya.
The second match followed a similar plot-line once again, where Nitish Kumar Reddy took the game away from Bangladesh’s grasp.
While the visitors have been in tatters, the hosts will be happy with the performances from debutants Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel hinted that Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana might be handed a debut in that game, which will mean that KKR will not get to retain the pacer as an uncapped star at Rs 4 crore.
Bar Rana, eyes will also be on Sanju Samson who has squandered starts in both matches. Samson, who debuted for India back in 2015 is yet to fix his spot in any formats of the game, and it is high time that he capitalises on the opportunities given to him.
There are no injury concerns for India and Bangladesh in the game. However, both teams might opt to make changes in the dead rubber in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad was one of the grounds that offered run-fests in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League. It is expected that the pitch will play the same way.
It had rained in Hyderabad the day before and it is once again expected to rain on Saturday morning. However, during the match hours, the weather is expected to remain clear.
India XI: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das (wicketkeeper), Nazmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
India go in as heavy favourites to win the match and clean sweep Bangladesh.