The Paltan were in for yet another terrific show by the Indian cricket team as they recorded two wins on the trot to win the series with one match to spare on Wednesday, October 9.

Put in to bat first, the reigning world champions were quick to overcome a rocky start and showcase a batting masterclass, registering a mammoth 221/9 in their quota of 20 overs.

Chasing a daunting total, Bangladesh were bundled out for just 135/9 courtesy of a fantastic bowling show by the hosts.

Here’s how the run-fest unfolded in the Capital city of India:

Nitish Kumar Reddy = Absolute cinema!

Following an underwhelming powerplay phase, the Men in Blue needed one blazing knock and Nitish Kumar Reddy provided exactly that!

Watching the 21-year-old all-rounder taking the bowlers to cleaners at will, who could have told that the young lad is playing in just his second game in India colours?

Playing run-a-ball for the first 13 balls, Nitish bhau shifted gears to smash 37 runs in the next 14 balls, including a mesmerising two fours and four huge maximums, to notch his maiden half-century in international cricket.

And guess what… he didn’t stop there! The 13th over off Mehidy Hasan Miraz saw Reddy rack up 26 runs, much to the joy of our Paltan, who were left spellbound watching another rising star stamp his authority.

Tum bohot mast kaam karta hai, Rinku bhai!

If Nitish Kumar Reddy played the lead role, then Rinku Singh played the supporting role to perfection!

He kept the scoreboard running reminiscent of a fast local train in Aamchi Mumbai, dealing only in boundaries. A 29-ball 53 knock, graced with five fours and three sixes, got Team India out of early blues.

A 108-run partnership between the two batters took the Suryakumar Yadav-led side to 149/4 in just 13 overs, with a 200+ score in sight.

A in Hardik stands for AGGRESSION

Coming in when the team stood in a good position, Kung Fu Pandya didn’t deter from going big and picked up from where he left off in the previous clash, amassing 32 off 19 balls with the help of two fours and sixes apiece.

HP batted till the final over of the innings as India crossed the 200-run comfortably, with him playing a pivotal role in the same.

Defence mode ON: Bowlers wreak havoc

Bangladesh were, naturally, expected to begin on an attacking note, but our bowlers were equal to it.

Three wickets in the powerplay, thanks to some smart bowling by Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy and Washington Sundar negated the Bangla attack, restricting them to 42/3.

Wickets keep on coming…

‘Don’t let any batter settle’ was seemingly the mantra of the Indian bowlers.

None of the Bangladeshi batters got going and the hosts continued to dominate the proceedings.

Moreover, Hardik Pandya grabbed one of the spotlight moments of the game, when he ran 27 metres to his left to complete a stunning catch off Varun Chakaravarthy to dismiss Rishad Hossain.

A mediocre batting show by the visitors handed India an 86-run victory, their biggest against the neighbours in T20Is!

With the series culminating in Hyderabad, Team India will look forward to a whitewash series win whereas Bangladesh will come out to play for Pride, looking to avoid heading back winless from the tour.

Brief scores: India 221/9 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 74, Rinku Singh 53; Rishad Hossain 3/55) BEAT Bangladesh 135/9 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 41; Varun Chakaravarthy 2/19, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2/23) by 86 runs.