Virat Kohli-led India will battle it out with Aaron Finch’s Australia in the second Twenty20 International of the three-match series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday (December 6).
The Men in Blue is leading 1-0 in the ongoing series after they clinched a narrow 11-run triumph over Australia in the opening T20I at the Manuka Oval, courtesy a three-wicket haul each from concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal and debutant T Natarajan.
KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja smashed crucial knocks of 51 and 44 runs, respectively to help India post a decent total of 161/7 after being asked to bat first.
In reply, Chahal–who was called up as Jadeja’s concussion substitute after the all-rounder got a blow on his helmet while batting in the last over off a Mitchell Starc delivery– went on to produce a match-winning performance as he bagged three crucial wickets of Aaron Finch (35), Steve Smith (12) and Mathew Wade (7) while conceding just 25 runs.
Meanwhile, T20I debutant Natarajan removed D’Arcy Short (34), Glenn Maxwell (2) and Mitchell Starc (1) to help India restrict Australia to a score of 150 for seven and clinch victory.
While India will now be keen to capitalise on their first match win and take an unassailable 2-0 win, Australia will look to bounce back in order to stay alive in the series.
India have added Shardul Thakur in their squad as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to concussion.
Australia, on the other hand, have included Nathan Lyon in place of Cameroon Green, who has been released from the national squad for Australia A’s three-day game against an Indian side.
Weather Report:
As far as weather is concerned, the forecast in Sydney will be sunny and bright on the day of the match. The maximum temperature is expected to reach at 30-degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to record at 16-degree Celsius.There is no chance of rain during the clash.
Pitch Report:
Talking about the pitch at SCG, the wicket is expected to benefit the batsmen just like it did during the ODI series. The track should remain batting friendly throughout the match with both sides looking to chase.
When to watch:
The second T20I of the three-match series between India and Australia will begin from 1.40 p.m onwards at SCG.The toss for the match will take place at 1.10 p.m. Just like the opening T20I, the second match will also allow limited specatators into the stadium.
Where to watch:
The series between the two sides is being telecast on Sony Network in India, while the live streaming of the event will be available on SonyLiv.
India vs Australia 2nd T20I, Dream11 Team Prediction:
Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul
Batsmen: Virat Kohli (captain), Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Shreyas Iyer
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Hardik Pandya
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, T Natarajan, Josh hazlewood, Adam Zampa
PROBABLE XIs:
India Predicted XI: KL Rahul (WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer/ Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami/ Deepak Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia Predicted XI: Aaron Finch (C), D’arcy Short/ Alex Carey, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (WK), Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Adam Zampa.
SQUADS:
India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper).
Australia T20I squad: Aaron Finch (Captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), David Warner, Adam Zampa.
