If you thought that a change in the format would perhaps bring a change in Australia’s approach to their ongoing tour of India, then you were bound to be mistaken.
The game in Ranchi which India comprehensively won, followed a precise trend from the ODI series, as Australia’s batting lost early wickets and then wilted against the Indian wrist spinners. There is a clear case of the team being overly dependent on the starts of David Warner, and now that he is being timed and again outfoxed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Australia found themselves in a rut. To add to that, the brilliance of Kuldeep Yadav has been top notch, as countering him has been a task too tough for the Kangaroos.
With Guwahati set to make its debut from the T20I front, India will be eager to wrap up the series right here itself. Below, we have a look the predicted Indian XI for the second T20I of the series.
- Rohit Sharma:
In India’s six-over chase, Sharma did his job, as he got the team off to a flying start with a boundary and a six over fine leg. However, looking to score big, he was castled by Nathan Coulter Nile. Nevertheless, with Sharma now getting the comfort of entire innings, he looks certain to play a big knock soon.
- Shikhar Dhawan:
Dhawan marked a successful comeback to the T20I side, as he remained unbeaten till the end and played a couple of eye-catching shots. During his comeback innings, the southpaw looked quite comfortable, and it didn’t seem he missed the entire ODI series.
- Virat Kohli (c):
Skipper Virat Kohli was on the spine of the run-chase, as he finished off the game with a boundary over covers. Knowing his aura as a T20 batsman, and his mind-boggling numbers, fans are expecting Kohli to dish out his supreme masterclass against his favourite opponents.
- Manish Pandey:
Having done well in the ODI series, Pandey now has another opportunity to impress the selectors in the T20I series. With just two games left in the series, Pandey should make every opportunity count, as the competition for that number four slot remains tight even now.
- MS Dhoni (wk):
Ideally, Dhoni should bat at number five, as this position seems perfect for him to finish in his glorious style. If the top-order does well without losing too many wickets, then Dhoni can easily be promoted up the batting order as per the situation.
- Kedar Jadhav:
Pretty much like the case of Manish Pandey, opportunities are limited for India’s finisher, Kedar Jadhav. Whichever opportunity comes his way, Jadhav needs to make it count and being a finisher in the shortest form of the game; he is expected to get going right from the very offset.
- Hardik Pandya:
Hardik Pandya impressed once again in the game in Ranchi, as he picked up a wicket and came back strongly after being taken apart by Aaron Finch easily. Bowling in T20’s isn’t the easiest of tasks, but Pandya is improving with every passing outing. From the batting front, one cannot rule out the prospects of him batting at number four.
- Kuldeep Yadav:
The Man of the Match of the first game will be eager to carry on his good work in Guwahati as well. Kuldeep spun a web around the Aussie batsmen, as he flummoxed them with his guile and deception. His wrong-one against the right-handers is quite lethal, and his wicket-taking skills remain top notch.
- Yuzvendra Chahal:
Like Kuldeep, Chahal too had a memorable outing in Ranchi, as the two wrist spinners hunted as a pair. Chahal will be keen on improving as a spinner, and personally, for him, T20’s remain his strongest forte as a wicket-taking bowler.
- Jasprit Bumrah:
Bumrah is a class apart for the Men in Blue, as with him around, the opposing batsmen find things extremely hard in the death overs. He can demolish the timber with utmost ease and remains India’s trump card during the critical phase.
- Ashish Nehra:
Being 1-0 up, India must give the veteran Ashish Nehra a game to showcase what he has to offer at 38 years of age. Fitness wise, Nehra is as fit as anyone around, as proven by the fitness tests and bowling wise, there are no doubts surrounding on what he has to offer.