India's predicted playing XI for the 2nd T20I vs Australia
Team India will look to secure their second successive win when they face off against Australia in the second ODI of the five-match series in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, November 26.
The Men in Blue clinched a high-scoring thriller in the series opener, with Suryakumar Yadav's stellar half-century propelling them towards the visitors' total. Having made a winning start, they are unlikely to consider making many changes to their XI.
India’s squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer (for last two T20Is).
Here is India's predicted playing XI for the second T20I against Australia.
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been involved in a couple of mix-ups already, and the former was caught way outside his crease without facing a ball in the series opener. Jaiswal can't afford to sell his partner down the river again.
Irrespective of all that, the young openers have a lot riding on this series and will want to bat with intent at the top of the order.
Middle Order: Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh
Batting at No. 3, Ishan Kishan got off to a slow start in the first T20I, one that could've cost the team dearly on another day. The southpaw will want to find his range a little earlier in his innings.
Suryakumar Yadav's T20I form has been nothing short of otherworldly, as he has managed to marry scary consistency with an incredibly high strike rate. His T20I captaincy career also kicked off with a win, and he'll be optimistic ahead of the next encounter.
Tilak Varma needs to be given some time to get used to his new No. 5 role. It won't be easy for him to mold his style of play to the demands of the team, but he certainly has the ability to do so.
Another one of India's left-handers, Rinku Singh was ice-cold under pressure in Visakhapatnam. The 26-year-old is becoming an extremely reliable finishing option in the end overs.
Shivam Dube remains an option for India to consider, but his involvement doesn't seem to be on the cards as of now.
All-rounder: Axar Patel
Axar Patel disappointed with the bat but sent down a decent spell in the last ODI. With him unlikely to find a great deal of assistance in Thiruvananthapuram, the left-arm spinner will need to be at the top of the game.
Washington Sundar might have to wait a bit longer to feature.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna
India's bowlers, barring Mukesh Kumar, didn't cover themselves in glory in the previous game. However, the team management is unlikely to drop them after just one bad outing, and all three men are in line to feature on Sunday.
Ravi Bishnoi, who was carted for six sixes, will want to hit his lengths more consistently. Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, meanwhile, will look to find their rhythm and get back among the wickets.
This would mean that Avesh Khan remains on the bench.