India will have their task cut-out when they take on Australia in the second and final T20 International in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The Men in Blue were given a hard reality check in the first T20I on Sunday. Australia stunned their fancied hosts by winning the opener by 3 wickets.
Batting first, India could only manage a modest total of 126 for 7 on the sluggish Vizag track where the batsmen struggled to play their shots. KL Rahul top-scored for the hosts, scoring 50 on his comeback. In reply, Australia crossed the line of the very last ball of the game. Fortunes swung from side to side before Australia pulled off a thriller by scoring the required 14 runs in the final over.
The win has now put Australia on the verge of ending their 11-year long winless streak against India in T20Is. If they manage to win on Sunday, it will be Australia’s first-ever bilateral T20I series win against India since the 2007/08 season which was a one-off contest held at the MCG (a first T20I series triumph in 11 years).
Overall, Australia have managed to win just seven games against India in 20 T20Is so far. On Indian soil, Australia have won twice out of six matches with one being abandoned.
Talking about the Chinnaswamy track, India have won 2 T20Is and have lost three. On the other hand, Australia have a hundred percent record at the venue. So far, they have played only one game at this venue which was the World T20I 2016 encounter against Bangladesh and had won the game by three wickets.
India, meanwhile, will be taking heart from their performance in the last T20I at this venue. After losing three T20Is on the trot in Bengaluru, the Men in Blue won two in a row. The last one came against England when they had posted 202 before bowling out the visitors for just 127 to win the series. Virat Kohli would be hoping his troop come up with a similar performance on Wednesday.