Australia vs. India: Second T20I Preview

Australia vs. India: Second T20I Preview

Australia and India are ready to lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series in Melbourne on Friday. The home side will go into the contest with a 1-0 lead after registering a nail-biting four-run win in the first T20I on Wednesday in Brisbane.

In the batting department, the Baggy Greens will be one again relying on the explosive trio of captain Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be banking on the pace attack to deliver the knockout punch. There are no major changes expected in the final eleven.

On the other hand, the visitors will be bitterly disappointed after falling short in the previous game and will be eager to improve their performance this time around. In the batting department, the Men in Blue will be relying on top three of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on spinners to do bulk of the damage. There are chances of at least one change expected in the final eleven as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to replace left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed.

The venue which will be used for the tie is Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). There've been 10 T20Is played at the venue, where the team's highest score of 184-3 was registered by India in the match against Australia in 2016.

Key Players:

Marcus Stoinis – 9

Australia and India are ready to lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series in Melbourne on Friday. The home side will go into the contest with a 1-0 lead after registering a nail-biting four-run win in the first T20I on Wednesday in Brisbane.

In the batting department, the Baggy Greens will be one again relying on the explosive trio of captain Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team will be banking on the pace attack to deliver the knockout punch. There are no major changes expected in the final eleven.

On the other hand, the visitors will be bitterly disappointed after falling short in the previous game and will be eager to improve their performance this time around. In the batting department, the Men in Blue will be relying on top three of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on spinners to do bulk of the damage. There are chances of at least one change expected in the final eleven as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to replace left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed.

The venue which will be used for the tie is Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). There've been 10 T20Is played at the venue, where the team's highest score of 184-3 was registered by India in the match against Australia in 2016.

Key Players:

Marcus Stoinis – 9 Cr

First in the list of key players features Australia's Marcus Stoinis. The 29-year-old had a great all-round game in the series opener and played a key role in helping the home side in registering a much-needed win. Valued at 9 Cr, Stoinis can prove to be a great purchase as he is more than handy with the bat and can also become really useful with the ball with the change of pace, especially considering MCG's big boundaries.

Kuldeep Yadav – 9 Cr

Second in the list of key players features India's Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner was the Men in Blue's best bowler on show in the series opener. It was a very impressive show from the left-armer, considering the conditions in Brisbane. Valued at 9 Cr, Yadav is the player to have in your team as he has the potential to become even more threatening while playing at MCG where the boundaries are big and it will be harder to score quick runs off him.

Adam Zampa – 8.5 Cr

Last in the list features Australia's Adam Zampa. The right-arm leggie had a brilliant day with the ball for the home side in the series opener and was named player of the match. Zampa's impact was a surprise to many in the previous match as he was up against the best players of spin in the world, that too in pacer-friendly conditions. Valued at 8.5 Cr, Zampa is the player you can bet on considering the fact that drop-in pitch at MCG is usually more two-paced than the settled one's in the country, which can only help him in the game on Friday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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