With India on a roll in the series against Australia, there are many looking forward to them whitewashing their opponents. On this tour, so far, Australia have been outplayed by India in all three formats of the game and the mighty Aussies have looked underprepared and lacklustre.
Their moral was already down and injury to captain Steve Smith has added more to their increasing troubles. Smith went back to Australia, keeping in mind the upcoming Ashes series which is of utmost importance to Australian cricket.
The second T20I is to be played at Guwahati and we don’t expect too many changes in India’s playing XI. The first match in Ranchi was affected by rain but India still managed to register an easy win.
Here are the probable XI for the second T2OI between India and Australia in Guwahati:
Shikhar Dhawan:
Played well in the short cameo that he was afforded in the first T20I. He knows that he is coming back after a long break so will look to make use of the opportunity with all his power.
Rohit Sharma:
Though he couldn’t star in the first T20I, Rohit is in excellent form and knows that he can go big once he gets the start that he desires. Will open along with Dhawan once again in the second T20I.
Virat Kohli:
The captain hit the winning runs and is in a rich vein of form himself. He knows that he is the best T20 player in the world and if needed, he can completely change the course of a game on his own.
Manish Pandey:
The Bangalore-based batsman has been patchy but has the talent at the highest level. Pandey knows that he needs a good performance to get back into contention and possibly cement his place in the game.
MS Dhoni:
Dhoni is the ideal middle order batsman and this is the ideal spot for him to make an impact from. Though he does not have the big hitting power, he can still make a difference on a good day.
Kedar Jadhav:
Another player who is looking to permanently find a spot in the Indian team, Kedar Jadhav will look to play a good innings and even contribute with the ball if he is called upon.
Hardik Pandya:
It wouldn’t be surprising if Pandya found himself batting up the order as he can punish bowlers without needing much of a warm up. Pandya will also be the other option with the ball for India to turn to.
Yuzvendra Chahal:
Chahal has been in good form off late, having performed in the Sri Lanka series and then carried that form onto the Australian one. He will trouble the batsmen with his spin bowling.
Kuldeep Yadav:
The Chinaman spinner is another one who has been in fantastic form and has been troubling the Australians throughout the series. Will look for another strong performance.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
The fast bowler has gone on to become one of the best in the world in this format and he is continuing to scale newer heights with his superb talent. He can play well in the beginning and in the end.
Jasprit Bumrah:
Another fantastic bowler in the death, Bumrah has been in relentless form off late, having the ability to bowl Yorkers and bamboozle the batsmen. Bumrah will play a crucial role India in the second T2OI.
India’s squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Axar Patel
