India vs Bangladesh 2019: 5 Indian players to watch out for in the T20Is

India will host their neighbors Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series and a two-match Test series. This is going to be Bangladesh’s full-fledged India tour in a long time, and the first match will be at the newly named Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on 3 November.

The Indian team in the T20I series will be led by Rohit Sharma in the absence of Virat Kohli, who has been rested. With the T20 World Cup coming up next year, every T20 series would be crucial in terms of preparation.

India’s last T20 series against South Africa at home ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, are reeling at No. 9 in the ICC T20 team rankings. They have to play the qualifiers in the T20 World Cup next year before they can make it to the super 12s. With Shakib Al Hassan suspended for two years, all eyes will be on the new skipper Mahmudullah.

On that note, let’s have a look at five Indian players to watch out for.

#5 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has been named in the 15-man squad for the T20 series. He has been in and around the Indian team for two years now, but now looks ready to cement his place in the Indian side.

Iyer made his international debut in the shortest format in 2017 against New Zealand. But he hasn't got enough opportunities consistently since then.

In recent times Iyer has shown that he can be a solution to the long-time headache of the No. 4 position. He had a smashing ODI series in West Indies where he batted at the No. 5 position and played a couple of match-winning knocks. His strike rate in the series was a thoroughly impressive 124.77.

Iyer got the opportunity in the South Africa series but unfortunately he couldn’t cash in as he scored just 21 runs in the two T20 matches. This is a golden opportunity for Iyer to shine, and his fans would be hoping he makes the most of it.

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#4 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is the most experienced bowler in the current Indian team. In the absence of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, Chahal will be the leader of the bowling line-up in the upcoming series.

The 29-year-old was dropped from the squad for the West Indies and South Africa T20I series as the selectors looked to experiment with the bowling options. His last T20I match for India was against Australia back in February, so he would be desperate to perform and gain back the trust of the selectors.

Chahal had a decent World Cup 2019 campaign with 12 scalps to his name from eight matches at an economy rate of 5.97. His record in T20 matches is also very good; in 31 matches he has picked up 46 wickets at an economy rate of 8.

The fact that Chahal was dropped from the squad despite performing well in the T20Is wouldn’t have gone down well with him. Now, having got the opportunity, he would want to spin a web around the Bangladeshi batsmen and become a permanent feature in the shortest format of the game.

#3 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has become one of the most talked-about cricketers in the world after just two years of international cricket. The reason behind this is that he is seen as a possible replacement for the legendary MS Dhoni. Even the selectors have mentioned that they will be backing Pant for the future.

Pant has already made his mark in Test cricket with a century each in England and Australia. But his limited-overs cricket career hasn't blossomed yet. Pant has not been consistent at all in the short forms of cricket, and his poor form has resulted in him being dumped even from the Test XI.

That said, there is no denying the fact that Pant is an exceptional talent. We have seen his capabilities in the IPL where he has batted brilliantly at various positions. In IPL 2019 he scored 488 runs at a strike rate of 162.67, and most of his big knocks came at No. 4 or No. 5.

After the departure of Dhoni India would need a finisher, and Pant has shown that he can perform that role in T20 cricket. He didn't have a great outing against South Africa and hence would be looking to make up for that failure.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the best batsmen for Team India in limited overs cricket along with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The trio has scored the bulk of the runs for the team in recent times, and Dhawan’s opening combination with Rohit has been one of the best in the world.

But 2019 hasn’t been a good year for Dhawan. A thumb injury ruled him out of the 2019 World Cup and in his comeback series against West Indies he didn't look too comfortable.

The 33-year-old averages 36.44 in ODIs while in T20Is its’s just 20.11 this year.

The left-hander has come under the scanner due to his poor form in 2019. But given his experience at the top of the order, Dhawan should get an extended run.

He forms a formidable opening partnership with Rohit, and in this series against Bangladesh he would want to step up his game and get some big scores.

#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is having a sensational 2019 across all formats. He was the highest run-getter in the World Cup 2019, and he continued his good form in the longest form of cricket where he performed the new role of opener. Rohit ended up as the highest run-scorer in the series against South Africa with 529 runs.

After proving his worth in Test cricket as an opener, Rohit would hope to carry his rich vein of form into the shortest format of the game. He has not been in great form in T20 cricket given his standards, having scored 206 runs in eight matches at an average of 25.75 in 2019.

Apart from his batting, Rohit's captaincy skills will also be tested. He has got a relatively young squad to marshal in the absence of the big names, and so this will be a new challenge for him.

In the past, Rohit has led India in 15 T20 internationals out of which he has managed to win 12. In the IPL he has reached legendary status as captain, having won the tournament a record four times.

Rohit is the leader of the team in the T20I series and will also be the leader in the batting department. His ability to hit sixes at will is really handy in the shortest format, thus making him one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world.