With Shakib Al Hasan already retired from T20Is and Mahmudullah Riyad set to follow after the India series, Bangladesh’s T20 squad is at a critical juncture. In the absence of these senior players, all eyes are on Mehidy Hasan Miraz to step up and fill the void. Miraz was included in the T20 squad for the India series as a replacement for Shakib, but his batting position has been inconsistent across the first two games. With Mahmudullah’s imminent retirement, Miraz's role in the team remains uncertain, even to Bangladesh’s assistant coach, Nick Pothas.

Pothas, in a pre-match press conference ahead of the third T20I, expressed the team’s gratitude for having a versatile player like Miraz in the squad. " It's very conditions based and we're very fortunate to have Miraz because he can bat at the top of the order and he can bat at the middle order and we have seen the progress he has made from a batting point of view. You know we have tried him at the top with the ball which he has done well in the past. The last game, it can happen, it's T20. He gives us options because he has three skills which are of a very high quality.

"So at the moment because he wasn't at the T20 World Cup again we are going to be using him in different positions to actually find a role where he will play for the future. But at the moment we are very fortunate to have a international cricketer of his standing to be able to use wherever we think he fits in for that particular game and conditions," said Pothas.

Regarding the retirements of Shakib and Mahmudullah, Pothas added, " I would imagine having played international cricket for the length of time they have and performed to the high level that they have, I think the most important thing that we need to acknowledge is that they have forged a path for young cricketers to follow. With any luck they are going to be around to help in whatever capacity but to be able to pass on that experience to make the next generation better. Bangladesh has been very fortunate to have cricketers of their calibre play for that length of time and as a group and as a country we wish them the best of luck."

As Bangladesh heads into the final T20I against India on October 12, with the series already lost 2-0, the team will be looking to avoid a whitewash and perhaps solidify Miraz's role for the future.