The Indore pitch is said to be a batting-friendly pitch, but Sri Lankan batsmen could not take advantage in the second T20I match. Indian bowlers showed the class of their bowling in Holkar Stadium, halting the visitors to 142 runs. As excepted, India chased down the target easily getting the lead of 1-0. Now, both the teams will head to play the third and last T20I match of this series on Friday.
Date: 10/01/2020
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
India’s appreciable pacer battery
To see Navdeep Saini bowling a yorker to dismiss top-order batsman Danushka Gunathilaka, Indian skipper Virat Kohli was a bit surprised. We have seen him bowling regularly with the bowling speed of 140kps, but in Indore, he not only showed consistency in pace but also made some variations to confuse the batsmen. His bowling figures were 18 for two, which made him the man of the match.
The yorker King Jasprit Bumrah also played his first game since his injury. Bumrah was attacked by batters though he was successful in taking a wicket. Also, Shardul Thakur went wicketless in his first three over, albeit he picked three wickets in his last over. All-rounder Washington Sunder also gave a breakthrough to the Indian team, picking the crucial wicket of Avishka Fernando.
Sri Lanka ‘s last chance
Sri Lanka has the last chance to level the three-match series as the first game was abandoned due to rain and India easily won the second T20I match. Skipper Lasith Malinga might be disappointed with batters’ performances who could not utilise the batting-friendly pitch.
The opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka and Avishka Fernando started confidently, scoring boundaries but could not set on the pitch, losing the wickets subsequently. The middle-order batsman Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Dasun Shanka could not take the game forward. Now, the visitors have a chance in the third T20I match to level the series.
Head to Head
| Team | Total matches | Win | Loss | Tie/no result |
| India | 18 | 12 | 5 | 0/1 |
| Sri Lanka | 18 | 5 | 12 | 0/1 |
Weather forecast
No rain is expected in the second T20I match in Pune as the sky will be clear. The spectators will enjoy the game without any rain interruption.
Pitch Condition
It’s a batting-friendly pitch and spinners will get more support from the pitch. The first batting team will surely get the advantage to set big totals. However, this pitch was early reported as poor by ICC.
India’s Predicted XI
| Players | Role |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Opening Batsman |
| KL Rahul | Opening Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (c) | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Rishabh Pant | Wk-batsman |
| Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Shardul Thakur | Bowler |
| Navdeep Saini | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
Sri Lanka’s Predicted XI
| Players | Role |
| Danushka Gunathilaka | Opening Batsman |
| Avishka Fernando | Opening Batsman |
| Kusal Perera | Wk-Batsman |
| Oshada Fernando | Batsman |
| Angelo Mathews | All-rounder |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | All-rounder |
| Dasun Shanaka | All-rounder |
| Lakshan Sandakan | Bowler |
| Lasith Malinga(C) | Bowler |
| Lahiru Kumara | Bowler |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Bowler |
Match Prediction
Seeing the current Sri Lankan team, chances of India to win the third T20I match is more. India was dominant in all the departments while Sri Lankan batting line up was ineffective in facing the Indian bowlers.
Thus, India is likely to take this series in its name after winning the third T20I match.
Where To Watch
TV – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD
Online– Hotstar
Time– 7 PM IST