India vs Australia: India's predicted XI for the second T20I

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MS Dhoni during the first T20I against Australia
MS Dhoni during the first T20I against Australia

The men in blue lost the opening game in a close encounter. This was the fourth time India lost a T20 International on the last ball. The home team had a golden opportunity to go 1-0 up when Bumrah bowled an excellent 19th over. But even the experienced Umesh Yadav couldn't defend 14 runs in the last over. India had an average day with the bat. Only Rahul shined, and the rest of the team failed. Hence, they posted a moderate 127/7 after batting first. It was too little to defend for the Indian bowlers, but they did a great job. The second T20I between these two will be played at Chennai on Wednesday. A loss in the first T20I means we can expect a few changes in the Indian XI.

Let's predict the playing XI for the second T20I game.

#1 Top order: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli

KL Rahul and Virat Kohli
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli

Rahul will stick to his place as he has just scored a good half-century in the opening game. He is also back to the Indian team after a gap. India is looking for a backup opener, and hence he will get most of the opportunities in this series. It means that there will be a rotation between Dhawan and Rohit for the other opening spot. In the first game Dhawan got to rest, and hence he might play the next game. Rohit might get his due rest in the upcoming game. The Indian captain Virat Kohli has already gotten enough rest, so he will definitely play in the next game. However, it is not sure whether he will play at number three or number four. If India goes for Vijay Shankar, the Indian captain might be tempted to bat Vijay at number three.

#2 Middle order: Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni

Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni
Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni

When India lost six wickets in the first T20I, Dhoni had to bat with the tail. The absence of Hardik Pandya has affected the team balance. Hence, the men in blue might bring Vijay Shankar in the place of Dinesh Karthik, who had an average first game. He managed to score only a single run. Though Vijay hasn't bowled in recent times, he might be effective in the middle overs. India can't rely on one fast bowling all-rounder for the World Cup, so they should utilize Vijay Shankar as a bowler too. He is a very good batsman who can bat at any position. Young wicket-keeper Rishbah Pant can bat at number five. He needs to score big in limited overs. He is getting good starts but is not converting them into a big score. Dhoni would play at number six. If India needs someone as finisher, they can push Dhoni up in the order and players like Pant can play the finishing role.

#3 All-Rounders and bowlers

Chahal and Bumrah
Chahal and Bumrah

Krunal Pandya will continue to fill the all-rounder spot. They have options like Jadeja to replace him but there is a low chance of them making a change. Umesh Yadav might be replaced as he had an average opening game. He missed a chance to pull out a possible match-winning performance. That leaves India to take Sidharth Kaul, the only other fast bowler left in the basket. India is clearly looking to set up a back-up fast bowler for the World Cup. Umesh can't be the one as he leaks runs during crucial moments. Bumrah will continue to play as he is one of the key bowlers for India and had enough rest before the series. He was brilliant in the first T20I against Australia and almost won the game for India. Team management might be tempted to go for Kuldeep, but it's not likely to happen as they would want to give more exposure to Chahal ahead of the World Cup. Markande is likely to play most of the games on this tour.

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Edited by Hassan Shafiq