India will take on Bangladesh in three T20Is starting on Sunday (October 6). What can they learn from this series?
This is India's third T20I series following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in July, and the composition of the side under Gautam Gambhir has yet to be fully nailed down.
A couple of youthful Indian sides following the retirements from the format of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja did well to win 4-1 in Zimbabwe and 3-0 in Sri Lanka and will now embark on their first home series under the new team management.
But what might India be looking to get out of the series? Here are a couple of the key points.
Sanju Samson's viability as an opener
One of the most striking things about the squad India picked for the serieswas the apparent lack of an opening batter, beyond Abhishek Sharma. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are both Test regulars, and have been rested with a busy red-ball season ahead.
On Saturday, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav reportedly confirmed via PTI that wicketkeeper Sanju Samson would open the batting in the first T20I alongside Abhishek. Indeed, among the current squad members he has opened the innings the most times for India (five).
With more or less no competition for his slot, this is one of the best chances Samson will get to carve out a spot for himself in international cricket. It is likely that in the long-term, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are the first choice openers but India will want to see whether Samson (along with Abhishek) can do well at the top of the order and put himself up as an option anywhere in India's top three.
