I feel the T20I series will be 2-1 in favor of India: VVS Laxman ahead of Bangladesh series

The past decade has been a new rivalry take center stage in Asia. Move over the traditional arch-rivals- India and Pakistan. The past decade has seen India and Bangladesh lock horns in a plethora of pulsating encounters in white-ball cricket. Though Bangladesh had beaten India in 2004, it all started when the Asian Tigers shocked their big brothers India in the 2007 World Cup by beating them at Port of Spain in the group stage encounter.

That defeat served as the cornerstone of India getting knocked out of the competition in the first round itself, kickstarting what has been a great rivalry thus far. Since then, every India-Bangladesh match has been played in the backdrop of that heartbreaking defeat. The Asian Tigers repeated that heist with another whirlwind performance, one that saw them beat India in a 3-match bilateral ODI rubber back in 2015.

But in the shortest format of the game- T20Is- the Asian tigers, despite punching above their weights on a multitude of occasions, for eg in Bengaluru in the 2016 T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup, have fallen short at the last hurdle. But VVS Laxman feels that the upcoming three-match series in India gives the Tigers their best chance of beating their Asian brothers for the first time in Twenty20 cricket.

The T20I series is Bangladesh’s best chance to beat India- VVS Laxman

As per News 18, Laxman said that considering Team India are without their regular players like skipper Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it will be a tough series for the hosts. Laxman noted that Bangladesh have a great depth in their batting despite the absence of Shakib Al Hasan while also admitting that the pressure will be on Mustafizur Rahman to spearhead an inexperienced bowling unit.

So, who will win the series?

The former Indian batsman admitted that it will be a tough series for the hosts but still backed India’s batting power to lead them to a 2-1 series win, “It will be a tough series for the home team since Bangladesh are traveling with a strong side, but I feel the series will be 2-1 in favor of India,” Laxman said.

The much-awaited three-match T20I series between India and Bangladesh starts in Delhi on November 03.

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