India and Sri Lanka are ready for the second T20I of this three-match T20I series at Holkar Cricket Stadium (Indore). The hosts India won the toss and decided to bowl first.
The series is currently 0-0 as the opening game of this series at Guwahati (5th January) had no result due to the rain interruption and wet pitch. After the Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to field first, the game was stopped before the players started to come on the ground due to the raining. While the rain was stopped in an hour, it was revealed the pitch had some damp patches due to leaking the rainwater on the pitch. The groundstaff worked hard to dry those patch but failed and ultimately that match was called off without a ball delivered.
There is also some rain-threat in tonight’s game, but the match is likely to be played properly unless some unpleasant incident happens again. It is the crucial game for both the sides as both teams want to start the new year with a victory.
Coming back to the toss report, Indian captain Virat Kohli again won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian team has fielded the same playing XI of the last T20I at Guwahati.
Virat Kohli said after winning the toss, “We will bowl first again. Pretty good wicket to bat, but in the first half, there could be some swing and nip around. It’s a brilliant batting track. Pretty much on track, the main focus is to see youngsters take up the pressure – need to see who can do that, in big games, we need 11 fit players ready to go. There is healthy competition within the group. KL and Shikhar are brilliant players, vying for one spot. It’s all about doing what’s best for the team. Same team, no changes at all.”
Sri Lanka have also no changes in the second T20I against India
Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga was also looking to bowl first but ready to face their any kind of toss luck. The Sri Lankan team also has no change in the playing XI.
Malinga said after losing the toss, “We were looking to bowl first, but these are things we can’t control. I’m concentrating on white-ball cricket over the last couple of years, just want to do well with my lines and lengths. We don’t have too much time to give opportunities to others. We are also playing the same XI as the last match.”
Here are the playing XIs of both the teams:
Indian playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lankan playing XI: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (wk), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga (c)