2nd T20I: India eye series-levelling win against Bangladesh amidst cyclone threat in Rajkot
India will have to play their best game to level the series against Bangladesh in Rajkot after losing the first T20I in Delhi by 7 wickets on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma's Team India will aim to forget the loss in Delhi on Sunday and focus on getting back on track when they take on Bangladesh in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday. However, nature might have a say yet again. Following concerns regarding pollution in Delhi, the rain gods are in play this time around as cyclone 'Maha' might hit the Saurashtra region later in the day. It is expected to make landfall in Gujarat and can affect the weather in the city massively.
India lost the first T20I by seven wickets against a resilient Bangladesh side, their first against the Bangla Tigers in the shortest format of the game, who are without two of their notable players in Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. A win again on Thursday for Bangladesh could raise further questions regarding the Men in Blue's credentials in the T20 format going into a World Cup year.
Unlike the other two formats, India have failed to make an impact in T20s and with the World Cup in a year's time, they would like to change that. This year, in particular, hasn't been great either as India have lost against Australia and drawn against South Africa so far.
With some senior players rested, including regular captain Virat Kohli, the second game is set to be ideal for the fringe players to put their hands up in perform. Rohit already hinted at no changes in batting and India persisting with youngsters in the shortest format, it will be a good opportunity for them to make a case for themselves going ahead.
In their loss in the series opener, stand-in-captain Rohit admitted that India were not up to the mark in the field and a few wrong DRS calls also contributed to the eye-opening defeat.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan's form and strike-rate is also a concern going into the game on Thursday.
A series loss to Bangladesh will only pose more questions to the home team as it looks to zero in on a settled squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Australia.
The hosts had a troublesome time with the bat at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi where they recovered to post 148, which was chased down brilliantly by experienced Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim .
Rohit, who had a rare failure on Sunday, would be keen to lead by example.
Dhawan made 41 off 42 balls raising questions on his strike-rate and form. The great Sunil Gavaskar said more questions will be raised if Dhawan doesn't get a fluent knock in the remaining two games.
Another batsman who will be under pressure is KL Rahul, trying to cement his place in the T20 eleven after losing his spot in the Test squad.
A lot was expected from India's young brigade on Sunday but barring Shreyas Iyer, no one took the opposition attack by the scruff of its neck.
The likes of Rishabh Pant, Krunal Pandya and all-rounder Shivam Dube, who did not have a great start to his career, will have to justify their selection and deliver when the situation demands.
It would be interesting to see whether the team management gives another chance to Dube, or brings in Kerala wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson.
Also, if Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey makes the playing XI, one of them will have to make way for him.
The inexperienced Indian bowling attack is another area of concern for the team management. Pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who leaked 37 runs in his four overs and was hammered for four consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over in Delhi, could be dropped and Shardul Thakur may get a look in.
Spinners Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya will not only have to contain the rival batsmen but will also need to provide breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Bangladesh, who registered their first T20 win against India in nine matches, will look to seal a memorable series victory.
The biggest star for coach Russell Domingo's team was Rahim, who anchored his team's tricky 149-run chase in Delhi with an unbeaten 60.
He would look to play another crucial innings for the side in absence of senior pros Tamim Iqbal and Shakib.
Bangladesh bowlers, particularly spinner Aminul Isam and pacer Shafiul Islam, had a good outing at Kotla and will be aiming to build on that performance.
While the Bangla Tigers would be aiming for another loud roar, India would be looking to take the series into the decider in Nagpur.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Shikhar Dhawan, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), K L Rahul, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur.
Bangladesh: Mahmudullah Riyad (C), Taijul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Kumer Das, Soumya Sarker, Naim Sheikh, Mushfiqur Rahhim (WK), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Aminul Islam Biplob, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and Shafiul Islam.
(With inputs from PTI)