Pandya and Pant | File Photo
Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant are sweating it out ahead of the 2nd T20 between India and South Africa in Cuttack.
In a video shared by BCCI on Twitter, both Pandya and Pant can be seen facing deliveries by a throwdown specialist in front of a packed stadium.
One thing common between the two batsmen was that they were practising hitting the full-length balls straight over the bowler's head. While Hardik Pandya focussed more on the straight part of the ground, Pant, on the other hand, was seen hitting over mid-on and mid-off.
Recently, Sunil Gavaskar made a statement that if both Hardik and Pant can play as per their potential, then India can even make 100 in the last 5 overs.
Will The Men In Blue Make Changes In The 11?
The first T20 was one of the most surprising losses for India in a recent while. After putting on a monstrous 211 on board, no one would have expected India to lose, let alone lose by seven wickets and five balls remaining.
Anyways, the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is behind us, and the team looks ready to bounce back in Cuttack. One of the biggest questions heading into the 2nd T20 is if India will look to make some changes in their eleven.
South Africa seems to have done their homework as far as Harshal Patel is concerned. They used the crease pretty well to counter his dipping slower balls and yorkers. Even Avesh Khan was taken to the cleaners with ease.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the old guards and a sure-shot player in the first 11 when Indian goes to play the World Cup down-under. So, the team can look to bring in Arshdeep Singh or Umran Malik. As far as the batting is concerned, it looked pretty good in the first T20, with most batsmen chipping in with useful contributions.
India Probable Playing 11
Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel/Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan/Umran Malik
