Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 Decisions India need to take in order to win the 2nd T20I

Shreyas
What does team India need to do in order to win the 2nd T20I?
What does team India need to do in order to win the 2nd T20I?

#2 Drop the underperformers

This is a more serious matter to attend to. Two clear underperformers in the first T20I were Khaleel Ahmed and Krunal Pandya. KL Rahul could be added to that list too but considering how Kohli and Rohit played as well as his habit of scoring in big games overseas, India might be tempted to give him another chance.

Khaleel Ahmed is most likely to be replaced
Khaleel Ahmed is most likely to be replaced

Khaleel Ahmed is mostly likely to be replaced by Umesh Yadav for the next match. He wasn't able to hit the right lengths and was extremely inconsistent. He also wasn't able to adapt to the greater bounce on Aussie pitches, because the same deliveries which were hit for sixes would have been wicket taking deliveries on an Indian track.

Someone like Umesh, who is in good form and has the experience of playing in Australia, will fare better on a pacy Melbourne track.

Krunal Pandya might be given another outing considering that he's the only genuine all rounder in the team. India should give him a chance to bowl in the Powerplay since he doesn't turn the ball much and this can allow more overs for Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah towards the end of the innings.


#1 Change the batting order

Rohit Sharma to Number 4, Virat Kohli to Number 3 and KL Rahul to opening

This is a rather radical thought, but could bring the desired results if tried out. Kohli batting at number 3 is what India need, but that leaves a big question mark on India's number 4 position.

Shuffling the batting order can be a radical decision but might pay off
Shuffling the batting order can be a radical decision but might pay off

Manish Pandey has had a bad time both in India and overseas in T20Is and Shreyas Iyer has very limited experience playing overseas. KL Rahul, who's the first choice, is low on confidence but is still Number 4 on the ICC T20 Batsman Rankings.

The problem can be solved if a senior player like Rohit Sharma raises his hand and accepts to play at number 4, allowing Rahul to open the batting where he can try to replicate his IPL form.

India will surely hesitate to break the Dhawan-Rohit combination as both of them have looked brilliant, but Rohit has it in him to excel down the order too. He has batted at number 4 for the Mumbai Indians and if India take this big risk, they might well be rewarded with great batting performances along with boosting the confidence of Rahul, who will be crucial for both the T20Is and the Test matches to follow.

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