Arshdeep Singh's fine performance with the ball paved the way for India's convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Sunday.

Fast bowler Arshdeep recorded eye-catching figures of 3-14 in Gwalior before India made light work of chasing their 127-run target in the three-match T20I series opener.

Both Bangladesh openers fell to Arshdeep without reaching double figures as Parvez Hossain Emon was removed for eight and Litton Das on four to leave the hosts struggling at 14-2.

Last batter Mustafizur Rahman proved to be Arshdeep's last victim to wrap up the underwhelming Bangladesh innings, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy also impressed with 3-31 from his four-over allocation.

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav all got starts before falling in India's response, though Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya had little trouble in lifting their side from 80-3 to victory.

Hardik did most of the damage in that game-clinching partnership, blasting an impressive 16-ball 39 that included five fours and two sixes to see India over the line with 49 deliveries to spare.

Data Debrief: Arshdeep leads the way

Arshdeep continues to set the tone for India against batters at the top order, with numerous batters struggling to cope with his dominant left-arm action.

Sunday marked the 11th time he has taken three or more wickets in this format, the most by any India bowler in T20I history.

Rohit Sharma says India were willing to be bowled out for a low score in the first innings to avoid defeat in their 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh.

The second Test was severely hampered by rain, with days two and three lost due to the weather, but the hosts eventually prevailed in a seven-wicket victory.

However, in their return to action on day four, India first dismissed Bangladesh for 233 before setting a record first-innings run rate for any men’s Test, declaring on 285-9, to put themselves in the driving seat on the final day.

In a dominant performance, they bowled the tourists out for 146, before reaching their target of 95 in just over an hour, claiming their 18th consecutive home Test series win.

And they certainly started fast on Monday. They scored at a rate of 8.2 runs per over through their 34.4 overs before declaring, the fastest-ever rate recorded by any team in the first innings of a men's Test.

In the first innings, Rohit got off to a flying start, hitting 23 off 11 balls, including successive sixes off the first two, but Yashasvi Jaiswal was the star, scoring half-centuries in both innings, and the captain said they decided the reward would be worth the risk.

"We had to think a lot [about] how the game can keep moving forward once we lost two-and-a-half days," Rohit said.

"When we came on day four, we thought, okay, let's try and get them out as quickly as possible and then see with the bat what we can do.

"Once they had got 230-odd, we said it was not about the runs we got, but it was about the overs we wanted to bowl at them. It meant we had to try and up the run-rate, and score as many as possible because the pitch did not have much for the bowlers.

"To make a game out of that pitch was a super effort from the bowlers, and then for the batters to buy into that thought of going and getting the runs as quickly as possible," Rohit said.

"It was a risk we were willing to take because when you're trying to bat like that, it is very easy that you can get bundled out for a low score as well.

"But we were ready with that factor as well, that even if we get all out for 100-150, we wanted to give ourselves a chance to be in the game and try and get a result."

Yashasvi Jaiswal got another half-century, helping India to a 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh, claiming a seven-wicket win in what had looked like it would be an unlikely victory in a rain-affected second test.

After setting a new first-innings run-rate record on day four, having lost two days to rain, India followed it up with another strong performance on Tuesday.

Bangladesh started the day on 26-2, but with India's bowlers in fine form, they struggled to really get going, even with Shadman Islam bringing up a half-century.

Ravindra Jadeja (3-34) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) stunted any momentum as Bangladesh suffered a collapse of 7 for 55 and were bowled out for 146.

That left India with a target of 95, which they cruised to in just over an hour, despite losing three wickets in the chase.

Jaiswal set them on their way with a 45-ball 51, but it was Rishabh Pant (4) who hit the winning runs to get India over the line. 

Data Debrief: Clean sweep

While day five did not quite hit the record-breaking heights of day four for India, it was still a success as they earned an 18th consecutive Test series win at home. 

The 312 balls India batted for in this Test is just the second-fewest they have faced to win a Test match, behind the 281 against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this year.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who finished the series with 114 runs and 11 wickets and was named Player of the Series, has now received the award 11 times in men's Tests, the joint-most by anyone in the format alongside Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ashwin has won more Player of the Series awards than Player of the Match awards (10) in Tests.

India set a record first-innings run rate for any men's Test to keep their hopes of a series sweep over Bangladesh alive on day four in Kanpur.

Having seen two days lost due to rain, India quickly went on the attack on a surface suited to spin, with Jasprit Bumrah knocking Mushfiqur Rahim (11) over for the first of his three wickets, ultimately finishing with figures of 3-50 at the close of Bangladesh's three-and-a-half-day first innings.

Mohammed Siraj (2-57) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-45) also doubled up after Akash Deep had done so at the start of the innings on Friday, with Bangladesh bowled out for just 233 runs.

It was with the bat, however, that India really impressed.

The hosts set records for the fastest men's Test side to reach 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 runs, with none of the Sri Lankan bowlers able to slow them down.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal slogged 72 runs off just 51 balls faced before he was bowled cleanly by Hasan Mahmud, while there was also a quickfire half-century for KL Rahul, who hit seven fours and two maximums in his knock of 68 runs from 42 deliveries.

Virat Kohli fell narrowly short of his own half-century, scoring 47 from just 35 balls as Sri Lanka's expensive bowling continued, India ultimately declaring at 285-9.

The hosts likely required a couple of rapid wickets to give themselves time to seal victory on day five, but they got them through the brilliant Ashwin.

He trapped Zakir Hasan (10) lbw before crashing leg stump to dismiss Mahmud (4) with just five minutes of play remaining, leaving Bangladesh 26-2, trailing by 26 runs and surely playing for a draw.

Data Debrief: India set record pace

To say India were raring to get going with the bat on Monday would be an understatement. They scored at a rate of 8.2 runs per over through their 34.4 overs before declaring, the fastest rate ever recorded by any team in the first innings of a men's Test.

Now it is over to the bowlers to give them a chance to finish things off on Tuesday, and Ashwin – who took six wickets in the first Test – could be the man to lead them after scalping two huge wickets just before stumps.

There was no play on day two of India's second Test against Bangladesh, as stop-start rain saw the ground remain under covers on Saturday.

Though the weather let up at mid-morning in Kanpur, heavy rain overnight did most of the damage and the umpires eventually called it off at 2pm local time.

Things were only slightly better on day one, as a combination of heavy rain and poor light allowed just 35 overs.

India had opted to bowl and dismissed three in the play that was possible on Friday. Bangladesh stand at 107-3, with Mominul Haque (40 not out) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6 not out) now set to resume at the crease on Sunday.

Heavy rain and poor light saw play halted on day one of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, with the tourists standing at 107-3 after 35 overs of play.

Overnight rain caused the toss to be delayed by an hour ahead of Rohit Sharma opting to bowl, with darkness and a heavy downpour later causing the umpires to call off play at 3pm local time.

During the play that was possible, India – having chosen to bowl in a home Test for the first time since 2015 – went on the attack, with a quickfire double from Akash Deep dropping Bangladesh to 29-2.

Introduced in the ninth over, Deep saw his third delivery edged through to Yashasvi Jaiswal by Zakir Hasan for a duck, then an India review saw Shadman Islam (24) removed lbw at the start of the 13th over.

Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the ship for Bangladesh either side of a drizzly lunch, striking six boundaries as he racked up 31 runs off 57 balls faced.

Ravichandran Ashwin trapped him lbw in front of off and middle stump in the 29th over, but Mominul Haque (40 not out) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6 not out) survived until the weather had its say and will resume at the crease on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Ashwin's strike decisive?

Shanto's resilient knock appeared to get Bangladesh through the worst of a difficult first day in Kanpur, only for Ashwin to strike six overs before stumps.

Since the start of 2023, Ashwin has taken 30.2% (75 of 248) of India's wickets in men's Tests, with only England's Gus Atkinson (31.2%) taking a higher proportion of a team's wickets in that time (minimum 10 innings played).

Women’s cricket has enjoyed substantial growth in the last 15 years, and it is no coincidence that this rise has come alongside the emergence of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

While Australia may currently be the women’s game’s pre-eminent force, there is a feeling of the sport becoming more open, with nations outside of the traditional powers starting to emerge.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup itself has grown, a fact made clear in that just eight teams contested the first competition in England in 2009. The tournament was held simultaneously with the men’s competition, and the form of the hosts captivated a nation.

This culminated in over 12,000 attending the final at Lord's, where Charlotte Edwards’ side defeated New Zealand by six wickets to become the inaugural champions. The triumph pushed England women into the spotlight, with the same being said of Australia when they claimed the title in 2010 and how they have run with it since.

Their margin of victory over New Zealand at the Kensington Oval might have been slim (three runs), but it kicked off an era of dominance that continues to this day. Australian players such as Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning became prized commodities off the back of the exploits at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with teams all over the world bidding for their services.

Lanning was the top run scorer in the 2014 tournament in Bangladesh, the first in which 10 teams took part, as her country claimed their third consecutive title.

There was a new name on the trophy, however, when the competition moved to India in 2016 as the West Indies crowned their emergence as a leading nation by dethroning the Australians at Eden Gardens.

It was the first women’s final to take place on the same day as the men's, and it set the tone, with the Windies’ men going on to memorably defeat England, making the men and women from the Caribbean double world champions.

The holders then hosted in 2018 as Australia reclaimed the trophy that year, and they have not relinquished it since. Indeed, it was when they hosted in 2020 that the competition truly was taken to new heights. This was capped by the extraordinary attendance of 86,174 at the MCG—a record for a women’s cricket match—that witnessed Australia’s victory over first-time finalists, India.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 turned out to be the largest global sporting event to take place for some time, and it sticks in the memory for all the right reasons.

Its increased profile that year also brought rewards of the prize money for the winners of US$1 million, five times more than what was awarded in 2018.

That is a figure that has continued to skyrocket, with the winners of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the United Arab Emirates set to take home US$2.34 million.

Nine other countries will be taking on one of the toughest tasks in the sport, dethroning Australia, when the action gets under way on October 3.

With household names among the challengers, such as Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Smriti Mandhana (India), and Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), set to lead the challenge for their respective nations, we are set for the most explosive competition yet.

India captain Rohit Sharma hailed Rishabh Pant upon his return to Test cricket after his second-innings ton helped the hosts go 1-0 up in their series against Bangladesh. 

Pant struck 109 from 128 deliveries to help India on their way, with Ravichandran Ashwin also starring with both a hundred and a five-wicket haul in the second innings.

But the triumph highlighted Pant's remarkable return to the red-ball format, with his sixth Test hundred making him India's leading centurion in the format among wicketkeepers, along with MS Dhoni.

Sharma showered praise on Pant upon his return to action after a horrific car crash in December 2022, highlighting his team-mate's love for Test cricket. 

"He's been through some really tough times," Sharma said.

"The way he has managed himself was superb to watch. He came back in the IPL, followed by a successful World Cup, and this is the format he loves the most.

"It was about giving him the game time. Credit to him, he had an impact straight away. No matter what the conditions are, we want to build the team around that."

Meanwhile, Ashwin etched his name into the history books with his all-round brilliance at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. 

He became the oldest player to score a century and take at least five wickets in the same Test match, breaking Olly Umrigar's 62-year-old record.

Ashwin took six wickets overall in the second innings, but he insisted that records and accolades come secondary to his bowling displays. 

"No, I don't keep track of player of the match awards. Every time I play in Chennai, it's an amazing feeling," Ashwin said. 

"I've watched a lot of Tests, international cricket in those stands, to do it in front of those renovated stands is great.

"It was an opportunity to fight, dig in deep. I've seen so many team-mates do it in the past. Was a special innings, didn't sink in till day two.

"I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first.

"I think like a bowler naturally but have focused my thoughts with batting. The compartmentalisation is a work in progress."

Ravichandran Ashwin added a six-wicket haul to his century as India recorded a dominant 280-run victory in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

The hosts were well on their way to victory at the start of play on day four, with three Ashwin wickets helping them drop the tourists to 158-4 on Saturday, chasing a daunting target of 515.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept India waiting for their fifth wicket on Sunday, his resistance defining a wicketless first hour of play.

However, after drinks, Chennai local Ashwin and Chennai Super Kings star Ravindra Jadeja combined to brilliant effect to rip through the visitors. 

Ashwin made the breakthrough by having Shakib Al Hasan caught for 25 from just his fourth delivery of the day, then Jadeja's full ball was helped straight to Rohit Sharma at first slip by Litton Das (1).

Ashwin brought up his five-for soon afterwards by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz (8), then Shanto's courageous knock of 82 was finally brought to an end by Jadeja, the Bangladesh skipper's top edge being well held by Jasprit Bumrah.

Jadeja finished 58-3 by bowling Hasan Mahmud (7) for the final wicket, but not before Ashwin had brought up his sixth dismissal, having Taskin Ahmed caught for five runs.

India will now look to clinch the two-match series when the second Test gets underway in Kanpur on Friday.

Data Debrief: Ashwin closing on Botham 

Ashwin's first-innings knock of 113 helped India build a commanding lead before Bangladesh took up the bat for the second time on Friday, and he was equally brilliant with the ball.

Having dismissed three before stumps on Friday, he did likewise in an enjoyable second session on Saturday, bringing up his 37th five-for in red-ball cricket.

It is the fourth time he has hit a hundred and scalped five wickets in a single Test, and he has also done so in successive Tests in Chennai. Only England great Ian Botham (five times) has ever achieved both feats in the same Test more often.

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant both hit centuries as India took control against Bangladesh on day three of the first Test in Chennai.

Ravichandran Ashwin then claimed three wickets to stem the visitors' chase, leaving them 357 runs adrift at 158-4.

India resumed at 81-3 at the start of day three, and Gill and Pant led their charge on the way to setting a target of 515.

Gill notched up an impressive unbeaten 119, while Pant scored 109 from 128 balls before the hosts declared at 287-4.

The visitors made a steady start, but Jasprit Bumrah's claiming of Zakir Hasan (33) for the opening wicket stalled their momentum.

Ashwin then took centre stage as he dismissed Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim before bad light brought play to a premature conclusion.

Data Debrief: India close in on personal best

Pant marked his Test cricket comeback in fitting fashion, hitting 13 fours and four sixes on the way to his sixth Test century. Meanwhile, Gill notched up his fifth Test ton during their 167-run unbroken fourth wicket.

India have now hit 85 sixes in 2024, leaving them just five short of breaking the record for most sixes by a team in a calendar year.

Jasprit Bumrah reached 400 international wickets for India as the hosts concluded day two of their Test match with a 308-run lead against Bangladesh. 

Bumrah ended the contest with 4-50 as India ripped through the tourists' batting order before ending their second innings at 81-3 at stumps. 

Bangladesh started the day positively, restricting their opponents to adding just 37 runs to their overnight score, with Hasan Mahmud (5-83) doing most of the damage. 

However, the tourists' first innings started poorly as Shadman Islam (two), Zakir Hasan (three) and Monimul Haque (zero) fell inside the first eight overs. 

Bangladesh found themselves 92-7 within 30 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (2-19) and Bumrah ripping through their middle order. 

Mohammed Siraj concluded a dominant bowling display with the wicket of Nahid Rana (11), as India returned to the crease to hammer home their advantage. 

Shubman Gill (33 not out) and Rishabh Pant (12 not out) will resume play on day three, with the hosts now in a commanding position to claim the triumph. 

Data Debrief: Bumrah joins elite club

Bumrah was the pick of the bunch for the hosts with his four-wicket haul putting him among the elite bowlers in Indian cricket. 

He became only the 10th Indian bowler to reach 400 international wickets, while his bowling average of 21 is the second-best among all bowlers to have hit this milestone in men's cricket (Joel Garner - 20.2).

Ravichandran Ashwin hit an unbeaten century as India recovered from a slow start on day one of their first Test with Bangladesh.

Ashwin made 102, while Ravindra Jadeja ended 86 not out as the hosts finished the day at 339-6 in Chennai.

It looked set to be a difficult day for India, who were 36-3 inside the opening hour with Virat Kohli (six), Rohit Sharma (six) and Shubman Gil (0) all dismissed.

Rishabh Pant hit 39 while Yashasvi Jaiswal had a knock of 56 to steady the hosts at 144-6, before Ashwin and Jadeja took centre-stage.

Together, they put on 195 from 227 balls in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand to swing the momentum firmly in India's favour, with Ashwin reaching hs ton in just 108 balls.

"On a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you're going after the ball, you might as well go after it really hard," he said.

"It's the old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry, and the red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots. 

"If you're willing to just get in line and can give the ball a little bit of tonk, it really helps."

Data Debrief: Ton up for Ashwin as hosts break Mahmud's resolve

It looked like Hasan Mahmud would be the star on day one, with the Bangladesh seamer taking an impressive 4-58.

But Ashwin had other ideas on his home ground, with 10 fours and two sixes on the way to notching his sixth Test century, and second in as many Tests in Chennai.

Jadeja matched him with 10 fours and two sixes of his own, and is just 14 runs off claiming his own ton when play resumes on Friday.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was lost for words after they claimed a historic series victory over Pakistan on day five of the second Test.

They wrapped up the 2-0 series sweep, reaching the target of 185 runs on Tuesday, having bowled Pakistan out for 172 on day four, with Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana taking nine wickets between them.

At one point, it looked like victory was out of Bangladesh's reach, at least until Liton Das inspired a stunning comeback on day three with a stand on 138.

It is the first time that Bangladesh have ever recorded a series success over Pakistan, while it was just their third Test series win on foreign soil.

And Shanto was in disbelief when they finally clinched the victory.

"We can't express feelings with words, we are really happy," said Najmul.

"I think before we came here, we're looking to win, and the way everyone did their job made me really happy."

"Our bowlers were very impressive. I hope they will do the same against India as well, which will be a very challenging series."

Meanwhile, Pakistan are now on a run of 10 Tests without a win on home soil and have lost all five of their Tests with Shan Masood as their captain.

With this defeat following a 3-0 series whitewash at the hands of Australia earlier this year, Masood was left frustrated by the continued mistakes his team were making.

"We haven't learnt our lessons," he said.

"We could have bowled them, especially after 26-6 down here, but we let them back in the game.

"I think now it's time where we've realised that we were playing good cricket in Australia and not finishing games. That's something that we really need to work on.

"You always learn from your mistakes, and you try and give people a chance, and in this regard, we are in the right direction."

Bangladesh sealed a historic series victory in Pakistan by cruising over the finish line on day five of the second Test in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

Only bad light and rain prevented Bangladesh from wrapping up a 2-0 series success on day four after they bowled Pakistan out for 172, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana taking nine wickets between them.

Having resumed at 42 without loss, the tourists saw Zakir Hasan bowled clean by Mir Hamza for 40 early on, before Shadman Islam was caught by Shan Masood for 24 five overs later.

However, Pakistan's early wickets only delayed the inevitable as Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) and Mominul Haque (34) took up the mantle to push them closer to their target.

Abdullah Shafique took a great catch at short leg to account for the former while Abrar Ahmed's ball saw the latter caught by Saim Ayub, but Bangladesh were already within 30 runs of victory by that point and would not be denied. 

The experienced duo of Mushfiqur Rahim (22) and Shakib Al Hasan (21) were able to wrap things up serenely for the tourists, extending Pakistan's miserable winless run on home soil to 10 Tests.

Data Debrief: Rare overseas success for Bangladesh

Bangladesh had never previously recorded a series success over Pakistan, making the calm fashion in which they batted their way to victory on Tuesday all the more impressive.

The victory was just their fourth Test win on foreign soil in the last seven years, and this is only the third Test series they have ever won on their travels.

Their only previous series triumphs on foreign soil came versus West Indies in 2009 and in Zimbabwe three years ago.

Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana took nine wickets between them as Bangladesh bowled out Pakistan for 172 in the second innings of the second Test on Monday. 

Given a target of 185 for the victory, the visitors cruised to 42 without loss after seven overs before bad light and subsequent rain halted proceedings at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

After starting the day 9-2, Pakistan saw Saim Ayub removed by Taskin Ahmed (1-40) before Rana ripped through the hosts' batting order, claiming the wickets of Shan Masood (28), Babar Azam (11) and Saud Shakeel (two) in four overs.

Mohammad Rizwan's 43 from 73 deliveries threatened to bring Pakistan back into the contest, only for Mahmud to claim successive wickets in the 36th over before removing Mir Hamza (four) to conclude a dominant session for Bangladesh.

Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam wasted no time in setting a swift pace in the chase, with the former striking 31 runs from the 23 balls he faced, including two sixes and two fours before the weather closed in.

The pair will return to the crease on Tuesday needing 143 runs for a memorable series victory.

Data Debrief: Rana and Mahmud roar Tigers close

Rana's figures of 4-44 were his best for Bangladesh, with their bowling display the first time in the tourists' Test history that all ten wickets were picked up by fast bowlers.

Mahmud also impressed, claiming his first five-wicket haul in just his third Test outing for Bangladesh.