India vs Australia Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2nd T20I match?

Whether you like it or not, games come thick and fast at the international level, especially among the teams at the very top of the sport. India and Australia are two of those teams, and they must be sick of seeing each other in battle.

Be it a bilateral series or ICC events such as the World Cup and the World Test Championship, there is no format where the two heavyweights haven't locked horns repeatedly in 2023. This time around, it's the 20-over format that is hosting a few fresh faces from the sides.

In the first T20I, Suryakumar Yadav, at the helm of the side this time around, led the Men in Blue to a thrilling last-ball victory in a chase. That was after Josh Inglis hammered a sensational century, in all likelihood securing himself an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract at the auction later this year.

Other storylines aside, cricket is nevertheless a game between bat and ball, and that will always be entertaining irrespective of the frequency. Both India and Australia have players itching to make a mark, and another interesting clash could be on the cards for Sunday, November 26. Thiruvananthapuram will host the second T20I.

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IND vs AUS 2023: Men in Blue look to keep momentum going

India looked to attack Tanveer Sangha in the last game

The first T20I didn't offer much respite to the bowlers. Barring Mukesh Kumar and Jason Behrendorff, bowlers from both sides struggled to keep runs in check. Wickets, meanwhile, were hard to come by.

Thiruvananthapuram is expected to mitigate some of those challenges, but what it will throw up is anybody's guess. While the expectation is a slightly slow wicket will aid both spinners and fast bowlers, the venue has produced varied results in the three T20Is it has hosted so far.

All of that aside, India will be quietly confident of their chances in the aftermath of their win in the series opener. They were far from their best in that game, with the bowlers coming a cropper and the batters falling victim to some soft dismissals, but they still managed to get over the line.

The hosts' batting depth, or the lack of it, is bound to cost them dearly in one of these games. Axar Patel is the last recognized batter at No. 7, and that also means that Suryakumar doesn't have many bowling options to turn to in case one of his men has a bad day.

Australia are more well-rounded than India, but they arguably can't match the Men in Blue for skill. Having featured in top competitions like the Indian Premier League, India's players are more accustomed to international cricket standards than the number of caps in their lockers would suggest.

If the Aussies bring their benched World Cup winners into the mix for the second T20I, they will start the contest as the favorites. However, as things currently stand, Glenn Maxwell and Co. are in line to take a longer break.

India have plenty of concerns in their side, but they will still enter the second T20I as the marginal favorites.

Prediction: India to win the 2nd T20I vs Australia.