ENG vs IND 2nd T20I: 3 player battles to watch out for

Following a convincing victory in the opening T20I, India will look to seal the series when they meet England for the second clash at Edgbaston in Birmingham today (July 9).

The Rohit Sharma-led unit will be heading into the game on high confidence after a 50-run thumping win on Thursday at Southampton. Hardik Pandya starred in all departments, scoring a half-century in the first innings before taking a four-wicket haul in the second innings.

With the induction of regulars players including Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for the next two T20Is, it remains to be seen whether there will be any changes in today's contest.

Here's our India probable Xl for the Second T20I against England 🏏🇮🇳

Do you agree? 🤔 Let us know in the comments 👇

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England, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do under new skipper Jos Buttler.

With the second T20I set to begin in a few hours time, let's take a look at the three battles to watch out for from the high-octane encounter.

#3. Rohit Sharma vs Moeen Ali

The previous match against England was India captain Rohit Sharma's first T20I since February. He set the tone and got India off to a flying start, scoring 20 of his 24 runs in boundaries.

Rohit Sharma thrives better with the captaincy pressure on his shoulders 🏏🔥🇮🇳

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Rohit was in a full mood of destruction before Buttler brought in Moeen Ali to neutralize the threat. The off-spinner succeeded in outfoxing Rohit with a straighter delivery. This was the second time Moeen got the better of Rohit in T20s in just three outings.

The two veterans will once again go head-to-head against each other, and it remains to be seen who will come out on top.

#2. Liam Livingstone vs Jasprit Bumrah

A clash of two out-and-out white-ball match-winners will see Jasprit Bumrah go up against Liam Livingstone.

The destructive English batter had a forgettable game at the Rose Bowl, getting dismissed on a duck while going for an outrageous scoop. Livingstone has a reputation for clobbering huge sixes and will hope to replicate the heroics he showed in IPL 2022.

However, it won't be plain sailing for Livingstone as he will face India's premier bowler Bumrah. The right-arm pacer, who was rested for the previous game, is expected to be included for tonight's clash.

Livingstone and Bumrah have only met once in the past, where the latter prevailed. Bumrah bowled a steaming yorker during an IPL 2022 match to dismiss Livingstone for just one run.

#1. Jos Buttler vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The battle with the new ball will once again see England skipper Jos Buttler go toe-to-toe with India's swing sensation Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Both players play a key role for their respective sides in the powerplay. Where Buttler tries to stamp his authority against opposition bowlers with all his might, Bhuvneshwar has a knack of providing India with important scalps in the first six overs.

💙 AGING LIKE FINE WINE! How good was Bhuvneshwar Kumar tonight? Always a delight to watch him work his magic with the new ball! 🪄

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The Meerut-born pacer stole the march on Buttler with a peach of a delivery and dismissed him on a golden duck in the first over of the 1st T20I. With that wicket, Bhuvneshwar has now dismissed the swashbuckling opener four times in 12 innings. Moreover, Buttler only strikes at a rate of 95 against Bhuvneshwar.