Nidahas Trophy 2018: India vs Bangladesh, 2nd match, 5 talking points

India overcame a dismal loss to Sri Lanka in the first match of the Nidahas trophy with a walk in the park against Bangladesh at Colombo on Thursday. Helped by some tight bowling from their spinners - Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal - and wickets from Jaydev Unadkat and Vijay Shankar, India ended Bangladesh's innings at 139.

With a low key target, India got off to a decent start despite losing Rohit Sharma to Mustafizur Rahman. A promoted Rishabh Pant failed to impress but Dhawan found aid from a composed Suresh Raina. The Delhi lad slammed his second half-century in two days to take India home fairly comfortably.

Let us now have a look at the five talking points from the game.

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#5 Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar make an ugly start

Tamim Iqbal played an uncharacteristic innings

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar aren't the most intimidating opening duo going around in T20 circles but they can certainly do much bigger damage than the 29 they made in 28 balls at Colombo. With India's frontline seamers absent, Bangladesh wanted a good start from the openers to get things going but Tamim and Sarkar were too late to get off the blocks.

The experienced Tamim overturned a decision against him off Shardul Thakur's bowling and threatened to go bonkers with back-to-back boundaries in the next two balls. It didn't last long, though, as Thakur bounced him out. Soumya Sarkar had already flicked a catch off Jaydev Unadkat straight to short fine leg before the eventful Thakur-Tamim showdown.

#4 Vijay Shankar proves his bowling worth

Vijay Shankar grabbed two wickets

India were thought to be a bowler short in the first match against Sri Lanka this series but continued to stick by their young squad. Vijay Shankar, supposedly their fifth bowler, had to step up and did so admirably with his short of a length bowling. He did not have the greatest of starts with Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim collecting a boundary apiece but retorted with the wicket of Rahim.

He conceded two extras in the next over but gave away just three runs and accounted for the scalp of the skipper Mahmudullah. He nearly pulled off a spectacular catch off his own bowling the next over when Sabbir Rahman skied a catch to vacant mid-wicket. Shankar ran all the way to mid-wicket and nearly pulled off a blinder.

#3 Unadkat redeems himself but economy remains a concern

Unadkat picked up three wickets but conceded at a rate of 9.5

Jaydev Unadkat was brought into the Indian T20 side after a slew of good performances in the IPL where his slow balls at the death and economy proved to be the exact qualities India needed in their third seamer. Although he took to T20Is like fish to water, of late, Unadkat seems to be having a problem with his economy.

In his last four T20 games, Unadkat has gone at a rate of 8.25,11.45, 11. 66, and 9.50 respectively. He remains a handy death bowler but has a tendency to gift too many runs upfront which does not auger well considering that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, when available, constitute pretty good death bowlers too. India might want to stick to a better new ball bowler if Unadkat continues to deliver only at the death.

#2 Rishabh Pant wastes golden chance

Pant messed up a chance to put forward a case for himself

With MS Dhoni resting, Rishabh Pant really had to go all out and grab his chances in the ongoing series. A rather slow knock against Sri Lanka did not quite help his chances but he got a chance of redemption when India sent him up at No. 3 after the fall of Rohit Sharma's wicket.

The swashbuckling left-hander began in staggering fashion, digging out a yorker for a boundary but could not carry on in similar fashion as he chopped one from Rubel Hossain back onto his stumps. With Dinesh Karthik in the side and Lokesh Rahul, who can keep as well and scores at an average of over 50 in T20Is, in the squad, Pant will need to grab his chances.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan covers up for Rohit Sharma yet again

Dhawan slammed his sixth T20I half-century

Shikhar Dhawan slammed his sixth half-century in T20Is, just two days after he had hit his fifth, to help India ace a fairly low target. The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener was yet again in marauding form and covered up for Rohit Sharma's slip up once again.

The Hitman has been in woeful touch of late and was the first of the two openers to dismissed in 9 out of the last 10 limited-overs games since the beginning of the South African tour.

Yet again, Rohit failed to make it big as he inside-edged a Mustafizur Rahman delivery onto the stumps but thankfully Dhawan had his back. The southpaw slammed a superb half-century to take India home after it appeared like they were stuck in a rut following Pant's dismissal.