India vs Bangladesh: 5 Players who underperformed in the T20I series

A series which started on such a promising note for Bangladesh, finished with a couple of disappointing performances, thus handing India a 2-1 win. Take nothing away from the host nation though, who saw some outrageous individual efforts with the bat and ball. The series ended with a 30-run win in Nagpur, with the hosts looking pretty confident going into the Test series.

Newly minted skipper Mahmudullah had no easy pickings in the series, besides the first game. His side were challenged and outplayed in important phases, which reflected in the output emphatically. Not just Mahmudullah, even Rohit Sharma had some players underperforming on his side, which so easily could’ve halted India’s progress.

Here are five players from the series who were expected to do well, but underperformed:

1. Rishabh Pant

The fans’ frustration on Rishabh Pant is growing in stature. The youngster who is often put on parallel terms with MS Dhoni has struggled to cope with the expectations and has underperformed big time. From his performance behind the sticks to with the willow, he was criticized severely.

Another area where he has not been pretty good is communicating potential review opportunities with Rohit Sharma. There was an instance in the first game where two of his suggestions were overruled in one over. Perhaps he needs a little break from international cricket to work on his temperament and that’s the only way he can get back on track.

He scored just 33 runs in three games and showed no glimpses of his pyrotechnics. He missed an easy stumping by collecting the ball ahead of the stumps and was unlucky to not latch on to some half chances. In a nutshell, it was a series to forget for the youngster.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

There are a lot of debates going on if or not Shikhar Dhawan should still be a part of the T20I team, but he managed to keep his position. Did he vindicate the selection by doing a great job? Well, that’s one thing up for debate. With his recent performances, it really is surprising as to how he manages to keep his place in the side.

Dhawan has been a fantastic run-getter in the ODIs for India, but the same has not reflected in T20Is and Tests. His rate of scoring is a bit too quick for the longest format, a tad bit slow for the shortest, thus making him perfect for the 50 overs. It seems like Virat and management want to take him to Australia next year, which might not be a great idea.

He got starts in all the three games but hasn’t been up to the mark by any means. With the likes of KL Rahul pushing hard from another end with good performances at number 3, it could get difficult for Kohli to keep tugging with Dhawan.

3. Khaleel Ahmed

One of the cricketers Indian fans are extremely disappointed with is Khaleel Ahmed. The young fast bowler from Rajasthan gave away 18 runs in the 19th over, which cost India the first game. He was a tad expensive in the second game as well but the other bowlers did manage to cover up for the young man.

One thing which hasn’t gone in the fast bowler’s favour is fortune and he didn’t manage to make anything out of the blue as well. He struggled to find proper lengths and was smashed apart, especially by Mushfiqur Rahim. The only decent game he had was the third one, where he finally had some good rhythm but couldn’t pick any wickets.

In the series, he conceded 108 runs at an economy of 9, picking up just two wickets. With Deepak Chahar performing exceedingly well, life will only get difficult for Khaleel in the coming months and his dreams of making it to Australia for the T20 World Cup are slowly diminishing.

4. Liton Das

Coming to the Bangladeshi unit, they were already pretty disappointed with the absence of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. They needed a lot of runs from the top order and unfortunately for them, they did not and one of the biggest disappointments has been Liton Das.

Liton is a relatively young player but hopes on him have grown ever since he scored that hundred in the Asia Cup final. He scored just 7 runs in the first game and was unfortunate with the dismissal in the second game, where he batted beautifully for a while. In the third fixture, he got a couple of boundaries to get going but had no answer to the class of Deepak Chahar.

Technically sound but not yet there in terms of temperament – that’s Liton Das’s current situation. Maybe a series to forget for the young man but he definitely will be given time to recuperate and find his old touch back.

5. Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman’s career started on a huge note against India in the historic ODI series win a few years back, but the left-arm seamer has struggled to cope with the pressure of the expectations. The Fizz was far from his best in the series, making barely any impact with the new ball or in the death overs.

In the first game, he bowled just 2 overs in which he gave 15 runs and picked up no wickets. He had no answers to the Rohit Sharma onslaught in Rajkot in the second game and was hammered to all parts in the third game as well, conceding 42 runs in his 4 overs.

He will be returning home without a wicket to his name and conceded 92 runs in the series at an economy over 9 –  figures which you don’t want from your most important fast bowler. The struggle has been real for him, who hasn’t found an alternative to his off-cutter after so many years of his presence at the international level.