Pune: Buoyant India team will aim to come all guns blazing against Sri Lanka in its bid to clinch the series in the second T20I here on Thursday. India won a last-ball thriller by two runs in the opener at Wankhede while defending a below-par score and skipper Hardik Pandya spoke about the benefits of overcoming difficult situations as the team moves forward.
Talented players
The Indian T20 cupboard is brimming with talent with players likes Ruturaj and Rahul Tripathi cooling their heels in the dugout. It is expected that both Gill and Ishan Kishan will get all three games in the series and an impactful Powerplay will also give the batters coming down the order more confidence to play fearless cricket. The batting unit will like to score more runs in the second game and a lot will depend on the manner in which new vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav does what is known as "front-loading" (heavy-duty hitting in the first 10 overs) in cricketing jargon.
Slow Wankhede pitch
Surya was dismissed cheaply, one of his rare T20 failures after a golden 2022 but it was more to do with a bit of less pace off the surface unlike Australia and New Zealand where the 'blind scoop' over '45', would normally go for a six. But the smart operator that he is, Surya will find a way to manoeuvre against a Sri Lankan bowling attack which is more dependant on spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Theekshana who accounted for two wickets, giving away only 51 runs in their cumulative eight overs.
Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel partnership
Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel's batting effort was lauded by one and all and their utility is there to be seen. Shivam Mavi's dream debut is certainly a big relief for skipper Pandya, who could be lauded for taking the new ball and bowling an incisive first spell alongside the newcomer.
Mavi (4/22), with his ability to swing the ball, and Umran Malik's (2/27) raw pace is welcome addition to this T20 playing XI and seem to be long-term investments going into the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Squads
India: Hardik Pandya (C), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (VC for ODIs), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (only for T20Is), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (VC for T20Is), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (only for ODIs), Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (only for ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara (only for T20Is)
When: January 5, 2023
Where to Watch: Star Sports 1 , Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada
Live Streaming: HotStar
Timing: 7 pm IST onwards
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