IND v AUS 2020: India's ideal XI for the second T20I in Sydney
India has been unstoppable in T20I cricket this year.
They started the year with a 2-0 win against Sri Lanka at home in the 3-match T20I series. Then they whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in New Zealand. In the current series against Australia, India won the first T20I convincingly and took an early lead in the 3-match series.
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja starred in the batting department. Vice-Captain Rahul continued his good T20 form and scored a crucial half-century (51) while opening the innings. Jadeja picked up from where he left in the 3rd ODI and played a counter-attacking knock to take India out of a troubling situation. He dominated the Aussies bowling attack in the death overs and remained unbeaten on 44 (23 balls) to give India a respectable total of 161.
India lost Jadeja's services in the second innings due to a concussion. Yuzvendra Chahal came in as a concussion substitute for Jadeja and bowled during the second half of the match. Chahal delivered a man-of-the-match performance and finished with 3-25 in his four overs. In the end, due to a collective bowling effort, India won the match.
Team India will be high on confidence after a good performance in the first T20I. When they step into the field on Sunday for the second T20I, India will be looking look to seal their third consecutive T20I series this year by winning the contest.
The SCG in Sydney is the venue for this game. Generally, the pitch here is batsman-friendly. Cricket enthusiasts can expect a run-fest on Sunday afternoon. In the past, Team India has played two T20I matches at this venue, one in 2016 and the other in 2018. India chased on both instances and went on to win by seven wickets and six wickets, respectively. Skipper Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in India's wins as he hit 50(in 36 balls) and 61( in 41 balls) in those games at SCG. India recorded the highest successful chase at this venue, 200/3, during the 3rd T20I in 2018.
Shardul Thakur has replaced the injured Ravindra Jadejega for the rest of the T20I series. But Thakur might not get a chance in the playing XI on Sunday. Chahal will officially replace Jadeja for the second T20I. This move implies Washington Sundar will have to play the all-rounder's role in Jadeja's absence and bat at the critical number 7 for Team India.
Jasprit Bumrah will be back in the playing XI for this contest. Bumrah will be replacing Shami, who might be rested for this match to manage his workload as his services are very vital for India in the upcoming Test series.
The batting department is likely to remain unchanged as there is no pressing need to alter the winning combination. Team India will be looking to extend their 9-match winning streak in T20I's on Sunday and register their 3rd T20I series win of 2020. Also, India has a 100% winning record in T20I's at SCG.
Indian Team Ideal XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, T Natarajan