India skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday revealed his side's opening pair for the 1st T20I against Bangladesh, a day ahead of the match. (Streaming | Preview | More Cricket News)
The first of the three T20Is against Bangladesh will be played on October 6, Sunday, at the newly-built international stadium in Gwalior.
The Indian skipper said Abhishek Sharma's partner for the opening T20I will be Sanju Samson. Confirming this, the 34-year-old said on the match ev: “Sanju will open in this series.”
Suryakumar also talked about the x-factor of Mayank Yadav, who impressed everyone with his express in the few matches that he played in the last Indian Premier League season before getting injured.
“The series is a good chance for the youngsters. Mayank has that x factor and others as well. I have not played in my nets thus far. But have seen his potential and the impact he can make,” said the skipper.
However, Suryakumar did not reveal whether the Delhi speedster will debut on Sunday or not.
“We were discussing the team just now. If you asked me 10 minutes later I would have told you whether he would play or not. But surely he has that extra pace. Need to manage him properly. There is a lot of cricket going on both international and domestic circuit,” said the Indian captain.
“He is a good addition to the Indian team,” he said referring to Mayank who has not played since suffering a side strain in the IPL back in April. “He is doing his fitness (drills) as well,” he added.
Apart from Mayank, pacer Harshit Rana and fast-bowling all-rounder Nitin Kumar Reddy are also in line for debut in the series.
The second T20I between the two sides will be played on October 9 while the third and final match is scheduled for October 12. India have already defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in the Test series.
