India Look to Seal Series Against Australia in Second Twenty20
India, leading 1-0 in the Twenty20 International series against Australia, would look to continue their winning form in Melbourne and seal the three-match series. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men looked a changed lot in the first Twenty20I after 1-4 loss in the ODI series
High on confidence after winning the first Twenty20 International, India will look to press home the advantage and seal the three-match series when they take on Australia in the second Twenty20I here on Friday. (After Virat Kohli's Brilliant 90, Spinners Help India Clinch Adelaide Twenty20 vs Australia)
Having won first of the three-T20I series by 37 runs to take a 1-0 lead, India find themselves ahead of the hosts for the first time on this tour, a position of confidence that they didn't enjoy for the duration of the ODI series. (India vs Australia: Mahendra Singh Dhoni Pleased with Collective Effort in First Twenty20I)
Winning the last ODI in Sydney provided some relief to the beleaguered travellers, and then the win in the previous match in Adelaide has given their last week on tour some impetus.
Hitting the right balance for the playing eleven has been a concern for the Indian team. They tried doing so earlier in the series, bringing in Gurkeerat Mann and Rishi Dhawan, and leaving out the additional spinner.
Youngsters to the fore
Two spinners in the team hadn't provided captain Dhoni the control he needed in the middle overs, and though that change in selection didn't bring about the desired results, the youngsters impressed enough to stay on for the Twenty20Is.
Perhaps it provided the basis for the management to understand where their strength lies, and thus, when Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina joined the ranks for T20Is, there was no hesitancy in picking them for the Adelaide game straightaway.
Picking the duo allowed Dhoni the freedom to choose his bowling attack as per both experience and requirements, devoid of the baggage of the ODI series.
Ravichandran Ashwin duly returned to the side, and along with Ravindra Jadeja, gave a precursor of things to come in the sub-continent in the next two months.
And with Jasprit Bumrah impressing on debut, it gave the management further confidence to draft in Hardik Pandya as well, banking on extra overs that Yuvraj-Raina could bowl if need be. (Hardik Pandya, a Ray of Hope In Fast Bowling All-Rounder's Slot)
Thus, it will take a major upheaval in their plans, or even a freak injury in the build-up to tomorrow's game for India to break away from this combination.
© AP
Problem of plenty
With their bowling problems looking sorted at the moment, the batting order picks itself, given that Ajinkya Rahane is not yet back to full fitness.
The Mumbai batsman only took light throw downs in the nets near the end of the session. Thus, Dhoni would not be able to fit him in the eleven immediately.
The skipper had happily accepted a problem of plenty post the Adelaide win, but failed to specify just how he intended to sort this one. Given that he is expected to go in with the same eleven, the onus thus lies on Yuvraj and Raina to make sure he doesn't need to.
Raina looked rusty in his 34-ball 41-run knock at the Adelaide Oval, and it was only Virat Kohli's efforts that didn't allow pressure to shift back to the Indian batting in the last 10 overs.
Raina did well enough to play a supporting role, but more is expected of the current Indian middle order.
Dhoni usually follows a left-right combination in his batting line-up during T20Is, and if Raina got a chance in the previous game, he could entertain thoughts of sending Yuvraj ahead this time around, if the match situation allows.
It is imperative for the Punjab all-rounder to get some proper game-time under his belt.
Australia under pressure
Meanwhile, Australia are under pressure, perhaps for the first time this summer. They have engaged with New Zealand and West Indies prior to this series, in different formats, but won against them without breaking any sweat.
Even the ODIs seemed like a walk in the park for them, despite the close finishes in a couple matches.
As compared to Tests and ODIs though, there is strangeness towards T20s when it comes to the Australian side, almost as if this is a burden for them.
Perhaps these bilateral contests do not excite them enough, and as such they are not able to zero down on the best combinations and suffer in World T20s as a result.
For a team that is constantly on top of the charts in the five-day format, and has won five ODI World Cups, this could be one of the few plausible reasons for their poor T20I record.
And once again, their attention is diverted towards the tour of New Zealand post this contest, and the World T20 comes about only as an after-thought.
Australia will certainly be boosted by the availability of Glenn Maxwell, but skipper Aaron Finch has bigger problems in his hands.