IND vs BAN 1st T20I: India captain Suryakumar Yadav confirms new opening pair, Sanju Samson gets dual role

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India will commence their T20I assignment against Bangladesh on Sunday (October 6) as the two teams square off in the first of the three-match series in Gwalior.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has made a strategic move as the team is set to witness a new opening pair in the T20 format.

The India captain confirmed that Sanju Samson will be the new opener alongside Abhishek Sharma for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

"Sanju Samson will play and open the batting in this series going forward with Abhishek Sharma," said India's T20I captain in a pre-match press conference.

Samson's ability to play a wide range of shots makes him a potentially destructive force against the new ball, offering India a robust start in the crucial series against Bangladesh. It is a massive opportunity for the Kerala star, who will be hoping to cement his place in the team with the new role.

Named as the first-choice keeper after Rishabh Pant was given a break from his continuous play since the IPL comeback earlier this year, Samson's dual role as a keeper and opener provides him with a unique platform to showcase his skills.

Not expecting a slow track: Suryakumar

India has already been practising at the stadium in Gwalior and Suryakumar believes it won't be a slow track and insists the deck will provide entertaining cricket.

"In the two or three days that we practised here, we didn't feel that the pitch was slow. It appears to be a good T20 wicket. So, expecting a competitive game. We have got to know about the conditions here during the practice sessions. So, we now have an idea of how the pitch might behave. We have been talking to the ground staff about the wind factor or the dew factor. We would like to stick to our plans," he added.

After a clean sweep in the Test series, team India will be hoping to continue their prowess in the shortest format of the game. Along with Sanju Samson, eyes will also be on young pace star Mayank Yadav, who was called up for the first time.