After thumping Australia in the T20I series opener, Team India would be eyeing an assailable lead when they take the field against the hosts on December 6 in Sydney. An all-round performance helped the Indian visitors registering a comprehensive 11-run in Canberra. But unfortunately, they faced a massive blow in terms of Ravindra Jadeja’s exit with the concussion after the all-rounder was hit on his helmet.
The Indian think tank will now focus on filling the empty space in the middle order which ensures a change in the line-up in the upcoming game.
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Here’s India’s predicted XI against Australia for 2nd T20I:
1. KL Rahul: Rahul’s excellence in the shortest format has been impeccable in the recent times. After an outstanding IPL stint, he continued the momentum in Australia and scored a fifty in the Canberra fixture. He is a fixed candidate at the opening slot.
2. Mayank Agarwal: Mayank’s pairing with Rahul was devastating in the recently concluded IPL. The fans would love to watch him play on international stage as well. Shikhar Dhawan’s inconsistency may lead him out of the line-up on Sunday, making way for Mayank’s T20I debut.
3. Virat Kohli: The captain needs to fire and take the game deeper which he couldn’t do in Canberra. His presence at the crease keeps the opponents under pressure. A big innings from him is still awaited.
{{/usCountry}}3. Virat Kohli: The captain needs to fire and take the game deeper which he couldn’t do in Canberra. His presence at the crease keeps the opponents under pressure. A big innings from him is still awaited.
{{/usCountry}}4. Sanju Samson: Samson’s innings in the last game was short-timed but yet entertaining. He didn’t waste much time in settling down himself and was pretty quick in picking up the momentum. He deserves another chance to showcase his batting prowess against the Aussies.
5. Manish Pandey: Pandey has been a strong middle-order batter with exceptional fielding skills. He has been agile on the field but needs to find himself among runs as well.
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6. Hardik Pandya: Pandya has been in a red-hot form right from the beginning of India’s tour of Australia. He couldn’t score in the previous game but he has proved his mettle batting at number 6.
7. Washington Sundar: Sundar was absolutely economical with the ball in the last game. However, he needs to take a bit of onus while batting. He has the ability to hit big shots and he would be required to unleash some of them.
8. Deepak Chahar: Deepak Chahar has been one of the T20 specialist players. All he needs to find his bowling mojo back which he lacked in Canberra.
9. Yuzvendra Chahal: Chahal has mad enough headlines for appearance as a concussion substitute in the last fixture. He was one of the top performers and would be required to continue the momentum in Sydney as well.
10. T Natarajan: India’s Yorker specialist bowler will one the player to watch out for. His three-wicket haul on his debut in Canberra outsmarted the Aussies in their own backyard, that too, in style.
11. Jasprit Bumrah: Shami went wicket-less in the first game and he is likely to be replaced by Bumrah for the second T20I in Sydney. Bumrah’s inclusion will also give a chance to the think tank to test his pairing with Natarajan in the shortest format.
India’s predicted XI against Australia for 2nd T20I: KL Rahul (wk), Mayank AgarwalVirat Kohli (c), Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah