India lost the hard-fought first T20I match against Australia at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy stadium in Visakhapatnam and are likely to bounce back in the second match to draw the two-matches T20I series. Glen Maxwell’s brilliant half-century guide Australia to a narrow three-wicket win in a thrilling last-ball finish.
India will host the Aussies for the second T20I taking place at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on February 27. Australia are leading the two-match series by 1-0 and will look to end the series on a winning note while India is expected to bounce back in the second T20I.
Batting first Virat Kohli’s side placed a target of 126 runs with the help of KL Rahul’s half-century. Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile took 3 wickets in his 4-over spell. After two early wickets, Australia were cruising 89/2 in the 14th over of the game with Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short sharing an 84-run partnership.
But Maxwell’s dismissal by Chahal led to a collapse that brought the equation down to 14 needed off the last over. But Umesh Yadav’s poor final over in the first match led Aussies to win the first T20I.
Live Streaming Cricket, India Vs Australia, 2nd T20I: Where and how to watch IND vs AUS
Team Prediction:
The first T20I between India and Australia marks the return of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah in the side. But Australia managed to win the first T20I as India failed to put a defending total and succumbed at a score of 126 runs. KL Rahul scored a half-century while Skipper Kohli and MS Dhoni were the only other batters to reach the double figure mark.
Team India could replace Dinesh Karthik with Vijay Shankar as the latter is also capable to contribute with the ball. Umesh Yadav who was unable to defend 14 runs in the last over could also be subbed by Siddarth Kaul.
India vs Australia 2nd T20I preview: India need to improve batting to save series
The Aussies displayed well-disciplined bowling by restricting team India at a total of 126 runs in 20 overs. Nathan Coulter Nile bowled an economical spell and took three crucial wickets including the wicket of dangerous KL Rahul. Jhye Richardson was the only bowler for Australia who was unable to take any wicket and conceded runs at the highest economy for Australia. He could be replaced by Kane Richardson for the next outing.
While batting, Australia lost a couple of early wickets but were backed by Maxwell (56) and D Arcy Short (37) who constructed an 84-run partnership for the third wicket. Marcus Stoinis and skipper Aaron Finch failed to make a mark in the first fixture and are expected to come good in the next outing from the team’s perspective.
Possible Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(wk), Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Siddarth Kaul, Mayank Markande
Australia: Aaron Finch(c), D Arcy Short, Peter Handscomb (wk), Turner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa
