India will lock horns with Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I of the 3-match series at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in a short while from now. Both the teams would eye a win and get an unassailable lead in the series after the series opener at Guwahati got cancelled due to poor playing conditions on the pitch post rain playing spoilsport.
While India would look to stretch their five match winning streak against their sub continent neighbors in T2OIs at the Holkar Stadium, the Lankans would look to reverse their fortunes against their more fancied opponents.
As per the weather report, the forecast in is for a clear blue sky at Indore with minimal chances of rain, giving a huge sigh of relief to both fans and the players on either side.
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka on a belter of a batting track at Indore.
Kohli - 'We will bowl first again. Pretty good wicket to bat, but in the first half, there could be some swing and nip around. It's a brilliant batting track. Pretty much on track, the main focus is to see youngsters take up the pressure - need to see who can do that, in big games, we need 11 fit players ready to go. There is healthy competition within the group. KL and Shikhar are brilliant players, vying for one spot. It's all about doing what's best for the team. Same team, no changes at all.'
Malinga - 'We were looking to bowl first, but these are things we can't control. I'm concentrating on white-ball cricket over the last couple of years, just want to do well with my lines and lengths. We don't have too much time to give opportunities to others. We are also playing the same XI as the last match.'
India Playing XI : Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera(w), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga(c)