India edged Bangladesh in New Delhi to win the three-match T20I series 2-0 with one game to spare. An all-round show from Nitish Reddy was the highlight of their stunning 86-run win – their biggest margin of victory against Bangladesh.

Buoyed by a 108-run stand between Nitish and Rinku Singh for the fourth wicket, India struggled to 221 after being put in to bat. The Delhi pitch was in line with pre-match predictions and largely gave the batsmen good value for money for the shots they played. But briefly, during the PowerPlay, Bangladesh’s bowling decision was vindicated with three quick wickets. Both Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav hit a chip down the middle with the ball seemingly resting on them, while Abhishek Sharma chopped the ball after scoring 15 points.

India had started the innings quickly as Samson scored two boundaries off Mehidy Hasan’s first over while Abhishek scored another in the same over. But the duo fell behind in successive overs, with Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib striking. Mustafizur Rahman joined the group as he got the better of captain Suryakumar Yadav and India found themselves in trouble in the PowerPlay despite scoring a fine 45.

Rinku and Nitish took a short while before forcing themselves on the spinners. Rinku’s hard-hitting six leg-spinner Rishad Hossain signaled their intentions while Nitish added an encore through Mahmudullah in the following over. The tenth over of the innings showed a change of gear as Rishad Hossain was dropped for three sixes and a four by the duo who scored 24 runs in the process. Although the tempo increased immediately after, the attack continued, with Nitish hitting a six over long and Rinku hitting a four to put Mustafizur under pressure.

Nitish scored his first 50-ball international in the following over, off just 27 balls as the team quickly gained momentum. The 100 partnership ended with Nitish Mehidy missing three sixes and a four before being undone by a slower Mustafizur. His 74 off 34 had turned the tide by this point and the momentum gained was maintained by Hardik Pandya, who hit Rishad for a four and a six straight away. Rinku then hit 4, 4, 6 off Tanzim to add to his fifty from 26 balls before pulling Taskin to deep mid-wicket.

Hardik and Riyan Parag maintained the boundaries as India crossed the 200 mark in the penultimate over. The relentless pursuit cost India the hinterland, where four wickets fell in the last seven balls, depriving them of a higher total. However, 221 proved to be more than enough as Bangladesh hardly posed a challenge in the chase.

Although Parvez Hossain Meroz Arshdeep Singh hit three boundaries in the opening over, the innings fell apart soon after. Arshdeep had sent his man too far forward in the following over, while Washington Sundar scored his first and Najmul Hossain gave Shanto a long miss. The spinners continued to put Bangladesh under pressure with Varun Chakaravarthy and Abhishek Sharma each hitting the stumps in their first overs. Bangladesh lost 3 for 6 in a 14-ball spell that created a downward spiral.

Mahmudullah and Mehidy stopped the slide briefly before he scored a direct hit that was too long. Nitish capped his heroics with the bat with two wickets in the latter stages of the innings, capping a near-perfect day.

Short scores: India 221/9 (Nitish Reddy 74, Rinku Singh 53; Rishad Hossain 3-55) beat Bangladesh 135/9 (Mahmudullah 41; Varun Chakravarthy 2-19) by 86 runs