Team India lost the first T20I against England at the Narendra Modi stadium. The number one T20I side played like champions and outplayed the opponents in every department of the game. It was dominating display from the opponents and a rather comfortable victory for the visitors. India have their work cut out for the 2nd T20I. After the loss, India’s team selection for the game was heavily criticised. The decision to rest Rohit Sharma for the opening game backfired as the Indian openers KL Rahul & Shikhar Dhawan failed to give them a good start. India lost early wickets from where they never really recovered.
The second T20I thus will see the Indian team making some changes in the playing XI. They will need to win the game to stay alive in the series. We will figure out India’s Predicted Playing XI For 2nd T20I vs England.
India’s Predicted Playing XI For 2nd T20I vs England
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma after being rested in the first game is likely to make a comeback in the second He is the in-form player in the current Indian squad. India would like to make the best use of his potential up at the top. Among the highest run-getters in the format, Rohit is of immense importance to the team and hopefully, he will be scoring much-needed runs at the top. He scored consistently well in the Test series and is promising to fire in the shortest format of the game as well.
KL Rahul
Rahul is likely to hold on to his spot after Virat Kohli deemed Shikhar Dhawan as India’s third opener. Kohli also said in the first pre-match presser that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will open together. Thus after altering the opening combination in the first game, the Indian thinktank will look to maintain what has worked for them. Rahul was benched for the entire Test series but was unlucky to miss out on the first game with the bat. He will look to make amends in the second.
Virat Kohli
Kohli scored a duck in the first game and was picked up by his nemesis Adil Rashid. He looked to play with an aggressive approach which backfired. He was also trolled heavily on social media for scoring a duck in the first game. Known for his strokeplay as his most important asset in the game, Kohli will look to get back to basics and make the England bowlers pay, the second time around.
Also Read: Uttarakhand Police Sarcastically Trolls Virat Kohli On Twitter After He Gets Out On 0
Shreyas Iyer
Though Iyer batted at five in the last game, he is India’s number four in the format. He notched up his highest T20I score in the last game and took India to a score of responsibility. Whether he bats at four or even lower down the order, Iyer’s job is to anchor the Indian innings in case early wickets fall which was the case in the first game.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer Opens Up On Batting At Number 5 In First T20I vs England
Suryakmar Yadav
Twitter criticised Indian skipper for not allowing Suryakumar Yadav to make his T20I debut in the last game. With the Indian team failing badly in their batting effort, Surya’s inclusion in place of someone like Axar Patel can add depth to the India batting line-up. He can switch gears pretty quickly and can score as per the requirement of the situation.
Rishabh Pant
If Surya is included in the playing XI, Pant is likely to bat a spot down the order. This will lengthen India’s batting line-up. Pant is another Indian player who is in form along with Rohit Sharma. He played some audacious shots to score his runs and unfortunate to get dismissed in the way he did. He would like to make up for his early dismissal and help India win the second game.
Hardik Pandya
Like Pant, Pandya also was dismissed at the wrong time in the first game. He was just starting to flex his muscles before falling pray to Jofra Archer’s pace. He is the designated finisher in the Indian cricket team in the limited-overs format. Also, he would like to contribute more with the ball than he did in the last game.
Also Read: ICC Asks Fans To Name Hardik Pandya’s Shot in First T20I vs England
Washington Sundar
Sundar too will hold onto his place after an impressive performance in the last game. he was among the two Indian bowlers to pick up a wicket. He went for just 18 in 2.3 overs and picked up the key wicket of Jason Roy on 49. Sundar has been consistent with his performances in the Test format, which should make the management stick with him for all the five T20Is.
Also Read: Watch – Washington Sundar And Jonny Bairstow Involved In A Heated Argument During 1st T20I
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvi will continue to lead the Indian bowling attack. Virat Kohli credited his experience in this format and would like to keep faith in that in the second game. Bhuvi has recovered from his injury and looked good with the ball in the first game. India’s below-par total meant that the bowlers could not leave an impact on the game.
Shardul Thakur
He will be the second Indian pacer in the lineup alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Though he was expensive in the first game, India should stick with them in their playing XI. He brings in contributions both with the bat and the ball which makes him a better option than Navdeep Saini or Deepak Chahar.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal became India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is after picking up the wicket of Jos Buttler in the first game. He went for 44 off his four overs and was expensive. With no Kuldeep Yadav in the T20I squad, Chahal will be Kohli’s go-to option with the ball. His Indian and RCB skipper wil hope for a better performance from him in the next game.
Also Read: Team India Register Unwanted Record After 1st T20I Loss vs England