It was a disappointing start to the T20I series for India as Glenn Maxwell hit a crucial half-century to guide Australia to a narrow three wicket win in a thrilling last-ball finish at the first encounter on Sunday. Apart from KL Rahul and MS Dhoni, the India batsmen were unable to get going against the Australian pacers and when it came to the bowling department, almost all of them struggled with the exception of Jasprit Bumrah. With the morale taking a bit of a hit from the loss, the hosts will be looking to level things up in the second T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at the predicted XI for the Indian team for the second T20I in Bengaluru -

Rohit Sharma

It was not a good outing for Rohit Sharma in Visakhapatnam as he was dismissed for just five runs by Jason Behrendorff in the third over. However, with a great deal of experience under his belt, the Mumbai Indians skipper remains an integral part of the team and he will be raring to go in the second T20I encounter in Bengaluru.

Shikhar Dhawan

The batting line-up faltered majorly in the first T20I encounter and with the exception of MS Dhoni and KL Rahul, there were no standout performances. As a result, Shikhar Dhawan can make a comeback to the side in order to bolster the batting and a good performance in Bengaluru can do wonders for his confidence.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul was the standout performer for India with the bat and the half century did a ton of good for the opener who was making his comeback to the side after the Koffee with Karan controversy. With the third opener slot still open in the World Cup squad, Rahul performance in the series in the series will surely decide his fate.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli got off to a good start, but couldn’t convert his score into a big one. While batting on 24, Kohli flicked a delivery from Adam Zampa straight to Nathan Coulter-Nile at long-on. The Indian captain struck three boundaries in his innings but considering his record his Australia, he will be looking to score big in Bengaluru.

Rishabh Pant

When it comes to Pant’s T20I career, it has been a tale of hits and misses. In the first match, it was a miss as the youngster was undone by a brilliant piece of fielding by Behrendorff. When the Delhi batsman was batting on 3, he cut a delivery and started running with the shot, but Behrendorff dived, collected the ball and threw it to the keeper before Pant could come back to the crease. Pant is another member of the Indian cricket team who is fighting for a spot in the World Cup squad and he needs a standout performance in the next game to seal his fate.

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni had to carry out his role of disaster manager yet again as he steadied the innings after India lost three wickets. While wickets continued to tumble on the other end, Dhoni kept his calm and he was the reason why India were able to bat for 20 overs in spite of a brilliant bowling performance by the Australian pacers.

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik failed to make an impact and his chances of making it to the World Cup team are fading with every match. Karthik, who is not a part of the squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, managed just one run before being bowled out by Nathan Coulter-Nile and he needs a solid innings to revive his World Cup dreams.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was not quite effective for the Indian cricket team in Visakhapatnam and he ended with figures of 1/28 in his four overs. He did manage to trouble the Australia batsmen from time to time but his only wicket came in the 14th over when he dismissed Glenn Maxwell in the 14th over. However, the Indian team management would certainly hope for Chahal to take more responsibility in the absence of Kuldeep Yadav.

Mayank Markande

It was a great day for the young leg-spinner from Punjab as he made his international debut in the first T20I but things did not go according to plan. He was He was struck for two boundaries and a six during the course of the innings and although he did bowl well in his final over, he ended up conceding 31 runs in four overs.

Sidharth Kaul

With 14 runs needed in the last over and two tail enders at the crease, it was a perfect opportunity for Umesh Yadav to make himself the hero of the match. But, the Vidarbha pacer was unable to defend the total and as a result, the team management can give a chance to Sidharth Kaul in the second T20I to straighten the pace attack.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has established himself as the gold standard of death over bowling and the first T20I in Visakhapatnam was no different. he took two wickets in two balls in the penultimate over of the match and conceded just two runs to tilt the match in India’s favour but the hosts were unable to clinch the victory.

First Published: Feb 25, 2019 11:50 IST