India won the toss and decided to bowl first against Australia in the second T20 International at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.
Here is what the captains said:
Aaron Finch:
“I would have bowled first as well, like the other day. Hopefully put some runs on the board and then pick up some early wickets. Billy Stanlake has hurt his ankle and Nathan Coulter-Nile replaces him.”
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Virat Kohli:
“We’re gonna have a bowl first. The wicket has been under covers for a while. We did well in the last game. If managed to bat better, we should be better. We’re playing the same team.”
Preview:
Contrary to the popular speculations, Australia drew the first blood in the series by winning the first T20I. While the hosts were fortunate that the rain interruption worked in their favour, one should not undermine their performance. Australia did well with both bat and ball to come out on top in the thriller. Not surprisingly, Australia have very little to worry about at the moment. They would just be looking to make the most of the momentum and seal the series.
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On the other hand, India will have to address quite a few issues. They were sloppy in the field, were not spot on with the playing eleven and consequently paid the price. The decision to include Krunal Pandya instead of Yuzvendra Chahal backfired as the left-armer conceded 55 runs which eventually made the difference. India will be desperate to bounce back from the loss and win the game to keep the series alive.
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI):
D Arcy Short, Aaron Finch(c), Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey(w), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff
India (Playing XI):
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant(w), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed
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