New Delhi : The second match of the five-match T20 series between India and Australia will be played in Melbourne on Friday. The first match between the two teams was washed out due to rain and ended in a draw. Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav batted well for India in this match, sharing a half-century partnership for the second wicket. Suryakumar had been out of form for some time, but he returned to form in the first match, which is a relief for India.
India were without Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, and Nitish Reddy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) later announced that the injured Nitish would be unavailable for the first three T20Is. Nitish suffered the injury during the second match against Australia and has not yet recovered.
It’s unlikely that India will make any changes to the playing XI for the second T20I, as the first match was washed out. In such a scenario, Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh may have to sit out again. India didn’t get a chance to bowl in Canberra, but with Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel, India’s bowling attack is quite strong. However, they will have to curb the batting of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, who have caused problems for them in the past.
Ahead of the second match, Suryakumar’s return to form is a positive sign for India. Head coach Gautam Gambhir expects fearless play from his team ahead of the World Cup, and Suryakumar’s form will be crucial for that. Gambhir wants his team to regularly score 250, 260, and more. The recent aggressive performances by the Indian batsmen indicate that they have grasped Gambhir’s philosophy.
The playing 11 of both the teams for the first T20 match is as follows…
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia : Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
