IND vs AUS 2nd T20I Preview: Jolted India look to retain pride in Bengaluru

IND vs AUS 2nd T20I Preview: India need to tighten a few screws in order to avoid the first-ever whitewash under Kohli’s leadership, that too, at home

The three-wicket loss to Australia on Sunday at Vishakhapatnam was much indeed painful. Moreover, it was a stern quality check for India which saw a well-constituted batting line-up crumbling for a paltry 126/7. Though Jasprit Bumrah took off the pressure with the ball up to some extent, the things didn't fall in line. However, the hosts still have a chance to neutralise the situation by making a heroic comeback to draw the third T20I series in a row against the Aussies.

The team management is currently focusing on getting their strategy and combination right ahead of the ICC mega event. At the same time, they need to tighten a few screws in order to avoid the first-ever whitewash under Kohli’s leadership, that too, at home.

In the first match, the Indian batsmen failed to cash in the opportunity of playing on a placid track at Vizag and barring comeback man Lokesh Rahul's 50, skipper Virat Kohli and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, none of the batters could even reach the double digits.

While Rahul, who replaced regular opener Shikhar Dhawan, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, the other youngster Rishabh Pant, a strong contender for a World Cup 2019 berth, will be itching to perform after getting out cheaply on Sunday.

The pressure will also be on veteran stumper Dinesh Karthik, who is left with just one game to present his case before the World Cup squad is finalised.

Coming to the bowling department, Bumrah's triple strikes gave jitters in the Kangaroos's chase but fellow pacer Umesh Yadav leaked runs and was not able to defend 14 in the final over. India could replace Umesh with Siddharth Kaul or bring in all-rounder Vijay Shankar to beef up the batting department.

On the other hand, Australia will be hoping for a repeat of their performance, but with a cautious approach from the top order batsmen.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Sidharth Kaul, Mayank Markande.

Australia: Aaron Finch (Captain), D'Arcy Short, Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Peter Handscomb (wk), Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa.