How Virat Kohli's side might line up for 2nd T20

It is clear that India, with good reason, are not viewing this Ireland series much more than a warm-up before their 'real' tour of England begins. They cruised to a comfortable win in the first T20 international, with the openers and the spin twins leading the charge. In his post-match interview, Virat Kohli indicated that the Indian team would look to give everyone in the squad an opportunity before they head to England, and keeping this in mind, this slideshow looks at India's predicted 11 for the second T20 international match against Ireland.

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Given how much their opening pair dominated in the first game, there is a good chance that India will continue with this opening pair and bat KL Rahul in the middle-order. In addition to allowing their opening pair to get more match practice, they will also be able to test out KL Rahul in the middle-order, something that critics feel India ought to do to fill in the void at number 4.

Further, the top of the order is where it is most difficult to bat in overseas conditions with the swinging ball; and considering this factor, the Indian management will want to give their first-choice openers game time to acclimatize to the conditions there. Therefore, it is likely that India will continue with the same combination.

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Given how much their opening pair dominated in the first game, there is a good chance that India will continue with this opening pair and bat KL Rahul in the middle-order. In addition to allowing their opening pair to get more match practice, they will also be able to test out KL Rahul in the middle-order, something that critics feel India ought to do to fill in the void at number 4.

Further, the top of the order is where it is most difficult to bat in overseas conditions with the swinging ball; and considering this factor, the Indian management will want to give their first-choice openers game time to acclimatize to the conditions there. Therefore, it is likely that India will continue with the same combination.

Middle-order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and MS Dhoni

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni pick themselves in every single limited overs international that India play; and with Virat Kohli all but confirming that KL Rahul will play in the second T20, it looks as if the number 4 spot will go to him.

Rahul had a fantastic IPL; however, that came opening the batting, and with India's combination of Rohit and Dhawan performing as well as it is, Rahul will have to, in the long term, make a place for himself in the middle order. In fact, several critics believe that Rahul could be the solution to India's search for that elusive number 4, and this match seems like the perfect opportunity to test that out before the big tour of England.

Lower-middle order: Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya

Virat Kohli virtually confirmed that Dinesh Karthik will play in the second T20, and with this second wind in his career as finisher, number 6 seems like the ideal position for Dinesh Karthik to bat in. Since March of this year, Karthik has been in tremendous form, and it all started in the last time he played a T20 for India, in the Nidahas Trophy. Since then, he had a tremendous IPL, finishing many matches for his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. With India looking for someone to shoulder the finishing responsibilities along with MS Dhoni, Karthik will look at this as an opportunity to further his case for inclusion in the ODI and T20 sides.

Given the importance of the seam-bowling all-rounder in English conditions and the fact that Hardik Pandya is the only such player in India's 15-man squad, the management of the Indian team will be looking to give him as much game time as possible before the big tour of England - and this seems like a good opportunity to do so.

Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal

The bowling attack is comprised of two pacers and two spinners, and Hardik Pandya as the seam-bowling all-rounder. Keeping in mind that he plays all formats now, and that he may have sustained a minor injury towards the end of the first T20 international, Bumrah will look to be rested by the management of the Indian team. Umesh Yadav, coming off the back of a sensational IPL, is a perfect replacement and will be looking to capitalise on his opportunity - playing a T20 international after six-odd years.

Reports have come in that Washington Sundar was injured while playing football before the first T20; and as a consequence of this, the spin twins will pair up again as they prepare for the games against England.