After suffering their first T20I defeat against Bangladesh, the Indian players are getting ready for the crucial second T20I. The standing captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed they will change the approach for the second T20I.
On last Sunday (3rd November), India lost the first T20I of the home series against Bangladesh at Delhi. While it is the three-match T20I series, India can’t afford another defeat in this series.
On Thursday (7th November), they will meet in the second T20I of this series at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium (Rajkot). Ahead of this T20I, Indian standing captain Rohit Sharma has talked about their playing XI.
During the Delhi T20I, the Bangladesh bowlers restricted the Indian batsmen to 148/6 (20 overs). Apart from the opener Shikhar Dhawan (41), all other Indian batsmen failed to reach the 30-run mark in that slow track. However, Rohit feels that the batting is looking good and no need to change it, except the other cause like pitch condition.
Rohit said in the pre-match press conference, “Our batting looks good. So I don’t think there’s any change we need to make in our batting. But we’ll analyze the pitch, and based on that we’ll see what we can do as a team.”
Team management can re-think about the pace-bowling combination
Rohit Sharma has hinted to change the pace-bowling combination according to the pitch condition. While Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed played in the Delhi T20I, Shardul Thakur was sitting on the bench.
Rohit added, “The (pace-bowling) combination that we played in the last game, it was based on the pitch that was on offer in Delhi. We will see the pitch again today and we will think what we need to do in our bowling line-up.”
During the Delhi T20I, the left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed conceded 18 runs in the 19th over. In the last four balls of that over, Mushfiqur Rahim hit him four successive fours, and that took the visitors to the victory position.
The pitch looks good: Rohit Sharma
Rajkot has organised two T20Is till the date where we have observed high scores. Rohit feels that the present pitch is also good for batting but also offers something for the bowlers.
The Indian captain claimed, “The pitch looks good. Rajkot has always been a good track to bat on and it does offer some assistance to the bowlers also. It will be a good pitch. I’m pretty sure it will be better than what you saw in Delhi.”
Rohit Sharma doesn’t want to reveal the strategy for the second T20I. However, he has assured that their batting and bowling approaches for the Rajkot T20I will be different than the Delhi T20I.
Rohit claimed, “I cannot tell you strategy but what I can definitely tell you is that there will be changes in our approach. In the last match (in New Delhi), we played according to the pitch. We were playing as per the ways the pitch was reacting.
“But if the pitch here (at Rajkot) is good, our approach will be different as well in both bowling and batting (departments).”
To remain in the fight to win this T20I series, Rohit Sharma-led India must have to win Rajkot T20I.