The ongoing T20 series between India and England has gone down to the proverbial wire, as the 3-match series is locked at 1-1. Both India and England have looked very promising in the two matches so far, and the final match promises to be a real humdinger in Bangalore.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is an ideal venue for the finale as the ground and the pitch are best suited for a Twenty20 showdown. Both teams are stacked with a number of stroke makers and this bodes very well for the game.
The Indian team got out of jail in the second T20 when Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah combined beautifully at the death and scripted an amazing win for the hosts.
However, there are few areas of concerns which need to be identified and Virat Kohli and company should identify and take into cognisance.
Opening slot
#1 KL Rahul
The Karnataka batsman finally found some form in the second T20 as he scored a match-winning 71 in the first innings. He dropped anchor and shepherded the Indian innings right through and dragged India to a competitive first-innings total which proved to be just about sufficient in the end.
Rahul has the talent and temperament for International cricket and this innings came at just the right time for him and his white ball career. Hopefully, he kicks on from this innings and makes this spot his own in the longer run.
#2 Virat Kohli
The Indian captain has assumed a new role for the team in the shortest format as an opener and has looked at ease in the two innings without playing that decisive innings. However, he is back at the Chinnaswamy, a ground which he made his own during the IPL and the cricket fans would love another Virat Kohli-special in what he calls his second home.
He has looked to be the aggressor early on in the innings, but this ploy has not quite worked for him. Hence, it would be interesting to see the approach he takes up in the second T20.
Middle Order
#3 Suresh Raina
The southpaw’s return into the T20 format raised a lot of eyebrows everywhere, but the veteran has looked to be in decent touch in the two innings so far. He has walked out to bat at his preferred number 3 position and has shown good promise. However, much like Kohli, he has not yet played an innings of substance and his experience could come in handy in the crucial 3rd match.
He also offers the off-spinning option to Virat Kohli and is still a reliable fielder, and all these attributes make him cut-out for the shortest format.
#4 Yuvraj Singh
The experienced batsman rolled back the clock with his breathtaking century in the 2nd ODI and has looked in nice touch all through. However, his scores have not quite stacked up and the final T20 could not have come at a better time to prove his worth once again.
He bats the crucial number 4 position and has the ability to act as the fulcrum around which the entire batting could rotate. With the ground dimensions not as big, and with the pitch expected to be a flat batting paradise Yuvraj could stamp his authority over the England bowlers.
#5 MS Dhoni
The wicket-keeper batsman has not got enough time to express himself in the centre, and to be fair has looked a bit jittery. He needs the time to get going and often in the shortest format time is a big constraint.
Dhoni needs to step up and provide the finishing touch right from the word go and there are few better sights in world cricket that a belligerent MS Dhoni running the fielders ragged with his boisterous play.
Also, he has been a bank for Virat Kohli the captain and the sight of them formulating tactics on the go in the centre is a soothing one for the Indian cricket team fans.
#6 Manish Pandey
The Karnataka batsman has got a new role in this Indian team and has assumed the role of a finisher. On a sluggish track in the 2nd T20, Pandey played a stable innings, but in hindsight, his innings played a crucial role in dragging the Indian team to a competitive total in the end.
He returns his home ground where he is well versed with the conditions, and hopefully, the Indian team could benefit from his prowess.
Spinners
#7 Amit Mishra
On a flat Chinnaswamy surface, Amit Mishra could be India’s trump card with his leg breaks. Leg-spinners are generally the attacking breed and with the guile they have the ability to prize out wickets.
Also, since the boundaries are quite small, the batsmen could be lured into a sense of false safety and this augurs well for any spinner. Mishra gave a good account of himself in the second T20, but the conditions in Bangalore could be entirely different and he needs to call on all his experience.
#8 Yuzvendra Chahal
Virat Kohli has a lot of trust in young Yuzvendra Chahal and the Haryana spinner has not disappointed the skipper in both the two matches. He generally takes the new ball and often gets crucial wickets up front.
Also, he returns to the RCB homeground where he has tasted success and this should give him a lot of confidence. He generally believes in giving the ball a lot of air and enticing mistakes and then mixes up his speed and flight beautifully which befuddles the batsmen.
Seam Bowlers
#9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The seam bowler could replace Hardik Pandya in the playing eleven, as the Indian team would want to go in with the extra cushion of a bankable fast bowler on a flat batting paradise.
Kumar has given enough evidence of his pedigree both with the new ball and then returns to nail his yorkers at the death. Kohli would love to have him in the scheme of things, especially given the conditions and the ability of the opposition batsmen.
#10 Jasprit Bumrah
The young Gujarat-bowler has been one of the finds for the Indian cricket team in the recent past. He has single-handedly solved the death bowling woes for the men in blue over the past 12-15 months, and he once again gave a great account of his pedigree in the 2nd T20 encounter when he defended 8 runs in the final over.
His ability to produce yorkers at will and then the ability to change the pace of deliveries makes him an almost impossible proposition to slog.
#11 Ashish Nehra
This has in many ways been a season of comebacks for many veterans. Ashish Nehra is one such story and the left armer never ceases to amaze with his attitude and incredible willpower.
After an off day in the first T20, Nehra came roaring back to form in Nagpur and bowled a tremendous opening spell in which he claimed the wickets of both openers Sam Billings and Jason Roy in consecutive deliveries to set the tone for India. He returned towards the death overs and claimed the huge wicket of Ben Stokes.
Also, he passed on valuable inputs to Jasprit Bumrah for the end overs and the combination worked wonders for the hosts.
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