Mt 297 in Hyderabad too tall for Bangladesh as India complete 3-0 sweep in style

India vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I: Sanju Samson's 111 and Suryakumar's rapid 75 helped India post a record-breaking total of 297. The bowlers stepped up and restricted Bangladesh to 164. India completed a 3-0 whitewash in style in Hyderabad on Saturday, October 12.

In Short

• India defeated Bangladesh by 133 runs to win the T20I series 3-0
• India posted 297, the highest T20I total by a Test-playing nation in history
• Sanju Samson stole the show with his maiden T20I hundred for India

The third T20I was effectively decided by the halfway mark. After India set a record total of 297 runs, the remainder of the game became a mere formality. Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, who was part of the commentary panel, had already conceded hope, suggesting that the visitors should aim to reach 200 runs to salvage some pride. Ultimately, Bangladesh managed to surpass just the halfway mark, ending their innings at 164, while India secured a dominant 133-run victory in Hyderabad on Saturday.

Sanju Samson was the standout performer, becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper-batter to score a T20I century. It’s rare for Suryakumar Yadav to be overshadowed in a T20I innings, but with his explosive 111 off 47 balls, Samson achieved just that. Hardik Pandya also made a significant contribution, adding a quickfire 47 runs from just 18 balls, helping India surpass their previous best T20I total by 37 runs.

IND v BAN, 3rd T20I Highlights

While Bangladesh was never truly in contention, India’s bowlers were relentless, and their fielders gave their all, even in what was effectively a dead rubber. Ravi Bishnoi stood out with three wickets on his return to the T20I side, while Mayank Yadav, who played in all three matches of the series, contributed with two wickets.

10TH T20I SERIES SWEEP FOR INDIA

Suryakumar Yadav's men completed another series sweep in style, grabbing the attention of the world even when playing a dead rubber with their beyond-believable show of big-hitting, much to the delight of the packed crowd in Hyderabad. It was India's 10th clean sweep in 34 series in T20I cricket as they continued to dominate Bangladesh at home after winning the Test series 2-0 last month.

After wowing the cricket world with their fearless approach in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh last month, the Indian side took power-hitting to the next level in the T20I series finale in Hyderabad. Three months after the 'Hitman' retired from the shortest format of the game, India had an array of 'Hitmen' playing without the fear of failure as they rewrote history books at will.

Sanju Samson's 40-ball hundred and captain Suryakumar Yadav's 35-ball 75 propelled India to 297, the highest total in the history of T20I cricket by a Test-playing nation. It was only the second-highest total in the shortest format of the game after Nepal's 314 against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. There was no respite from the word go. India lost opener Abhishek Sharma cheaply, but Samson and Suryakumar tore into the Bangladesh bowlers, stitching a 173-run stand in just 73 deliveries for the second-wicket partnership.

SAMSON'S DAY IN HYDERABAD

It was Sanju Samson's day in Hyderabad. Getting three successive matches at the same spot for only the third time in his 9-year T20I career, Samson nearly missed out on the opportunity to make his mark. After failing to convert starts into big knocks in the first two T20Is, the Kerala superstar was under a bit of pressure to go big.

India won the toss and opted to bat on a good batting pitch in Hyderabad. However, India lost opener Abhishek early in the second over, but there as no let-up in intensity from the rest of the batters.

After hitting Taskin Ahmed for four boundaries in the second over, Samson left the crowd in awe with a sensational backfoot punch that sailed over the cover boundary against Mustafizur Rahman.

In the 10th over of the contest, Samson went after leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, hitting him for five sixes in successive deliveries. Samson got to his fifty in just 22 balls and needed just 18 deliveries to complete the next fifty.

Samson became the first Indian wicketkeeper to hit a hundred in T20I cricket, going past Ishan Kishan's 89 which came in 2022 against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. He also hit the second-fastest hundred by an Indian batter in T20I cricket, next only to Rohit Sharma's 35 against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.

Suryakumar allowed Samson to dominate the proceedings, but the skipper never slowed down. He hit eight boundaries and six sixes for his 35-ball 75.

Riyan Parag, who did not get a lot of opportunities in the first two T20Is, went big, scoring 13-ball 34, smashing four sixes and a boundary. Hardik, on the other hand, was in the mood to go big from the word go. Having the liscence to tear into the bowling attack, he hit four boundaries and as many sixes.

Birthday boy Rinku Singh hit a six in the final delivery of the innings as India fell short of the record 300 by just 3 runs.

The focus will now shift to the three-match Test series against New Zealand, starting October 16. The T20I stars will be back in action next month for a four-match T20I tour of South Africa.