India V Sri Lanka 2nd T20I: India Predicted XI

Team India produced a sensational performance in the opening T20I against Sri Lanka and registered a comprehensive victory by 93 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match series.

The Men in Blue after batting first played sensibly and ended up scoring 180/3 in allotted 20 overs. KL Rahul was the star performer for the hosts with the bat while MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey also chipped in with useful contributions towards the fag end of the innings.

With the ball in hand, Yuzvendra Chahal produced a magical spell which never allowed the Lankans to claw their way back into the match. Not a single batsman barring former skipper Upul Tharanga got going as the Islanders were shot out for a meager 87 runs to hand India a comprehensive victory by 93 runs.

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Now with the 2^nd T20I scheduled for tomorrow, let us have a look at India’s Predicted XI for the 2^nd encounter:

KL Rahul

The right-handed batter made a terrific comeback in India colours and went o to score a fluent 61 off 48 deliveries. He struck some delightful shots to begin his innings and went on to consolidate towards the middle period but failed to consolidate during the last phase of his innings and was eventually castled by a well-directed slower delivery from Lankan skipper Thisara Perera.

Rohit Sharma

He began with a couple of classy shots but before he could get going Angelo Mathews sent him back to the pavilion with a slower delivery. The ball struck him high on the bat with no timing on the shot which was eventually pouched comfortably in the mid on region.

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Shreyas Iyer

Iyer played two brilliant knocks in the final two ODI’s of the 3 match series and also chipped in with a handy knock in the opening T20I. He has looked like a player who belongs to the international level as he has been hardly troubled by any of the Lankan bowlers during his stay at the crease. He has looked n good rhythm and will look to impress the selectors a bit more with impressive performances in the remaining two matches.

MS Dhoni

The former captain looked in great touch during the opening T20I at Cuttack and took on the Lankan attack with disdain. Unlike the way he used to begin his innings, Dhoni started with a fierce shot down the wicket of the spinner Akila Dananjaya and from there on he gained from strength to strength. He finished off the innings with a colossal six which took India to the 180 mark in their allotted 20 overs. He might come at No 4 even tomorrow and will look to start from where he left yesterday.

Manish Pandey

Pandey has been a useful middle-order batsman for India but his inconsistency has been his main problem. He has played a few stellar knocks but it hasn’t come on a consistent basis like the top order. He wasn’t required in the opening fixture but will definitely look to come good in the 2^nd clash and cement his place in the shortest format of the game.

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Dinesh Karthik

Karthik didn’t bat in the 1^st T20I but looked in good touch during the final ODI where he remained unbeaten on a fluent 25 of 27 deliveries and struck some delightful shots in the process. He scored some valuable runs during the ODI series against the Kiwis and will look to prove a point in the 2^nd T20I if he does get a chance.

Hardik Pandya

The all-rounder has been a revelation for Indian cricket especially in the shorter formats of the game and has been scoring heaps of runs across formats. He has the ability to hit the big shots on a consistent period and also bowls at a decent pace. He bagged three wickets I the opening clash and bowled at good pace.

Kuldeep Yadav

The left-arm chinaman bowler has been in and out of the Playing XI but whenever he has got a chance he has raised his hand and proved a lethal weapon for his country. He bowled brilliantly in the opening T20I and ended up bagging a couple of wickets at the expense of 18 runs in his allotted 4 overs.

Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat gave India the maiden breakthrough in the opening clash. He was brilliant during this year’s IPL and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. He has the ability to bowl some exceptional cutters and relies mostly on his variations to bamboozle opposition batsmen.

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Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah bowled a couple of overs in the opening clash and ended up giving away only ten runs. He has been the star performer for India with the ball in hand in the shorter formats of the game. He has matured as a player immensely and will look to continue his impressive form in the limited overs format. His exceptional record in the shorter formats has paved his way for a maiden call-up in the longest format of the game.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The leggie was the pick of the Indian bowlers finishing with exceptional figures of 4/23 in his allotted four overs. He conceded a couple of sixes in his opening spell but came back strongly to dismiss 4 top order Sri Lankan batsmen. Again Chahal dismissed Mathews with a similar sort of delivery which got him in the final ODI. He has been the trump card for India with the ball in hand and will look to come up with yet another impressive performance in the 2^nd T20I as the hosts would like to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series.

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