Australia vs India, 2nd T20I, Match Prediction: Who will win the Match?

With a rare series victory up for grabs, Australia will come hard at the visitors.

Published - 22 Nov 2018, 14:55 IST | Updated - 22 Nov 2018, 14:55 IST

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The T20I series between Australia and India couldn’t have got off to a better start with the first match going down the wire at The Gabba in Brisbane. Moreover, the hosts winning the series opener has set up the series beautifully and has given a wake-up call to India who were the overwhelming favourites to win the contest in the shortest format. The action now moves to one of the biggest Stadiums in the World, Melbourne Cricket Ground, and close to 70,000 spectators are expected to grace their presence.

Aaron Finch and his men walked the talk of turning it around after a loss against South Africa. They came out with a plan the other day and executed those perfectly. But given the state of turmoil they are going through, Australia cannot afford to relax and now have the chance to derail India’s long tour early ahead of the much-awaited Test series. Though the format is completely different, the result of this series will surely play on the visitors’ mind.

India didn’t have a good day on the field and they will definitely want to make amends quickly to make a comeback. Virat Kohli himself wasn’t up to the mark with the bat as well and dropping once catch. The must-win scenario might spur the best out of him and the other players which will make the contest interesting.

Pitch and Conditions

The big boundary sizes at the MCG will once again play a crucial role. The pitch will continue to have a tinge of grass on it and will be extremely good to bat like it was at the Gabba. The temperatures will hover in the early 10s and even in this game the heavens will open up. Unfortunately there might be a lot of interruptions during the game with more than 50 percent chances of heavy showers during the duration of the match.

Team Combinations

Australia

Why change the winning combination? Australia will have no doubts in their mind going into this encounter. Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short will continue to open the innings with the big hitters like Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell to follow. Marcus Stoinis was worthy of a Man of the Match the other day and he will once again be key with both bat and ball for them.

In case of a collapse, the home side has Alex Carey and Ben McDermott up their sleeves to weather the storm. Adam Zampa was exceptional with the ball while the pace bowlers did a fair job to their credit. Having said that, Andrew Tye had an off day and conceding 47 runs would’ve taken a hit to his confidence.

Probable XI: Aaron Finch (c), D’Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Ben McDermott, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff, Billy Stanlake.

India

India have a few things to ponder ahead of the must-win game. Their two most inexperienced bowlers, Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed, went for 97 runs combined in eight overs and that cost them the game. One of them might sit out of the XI making way for Yuzvendra Chahal who has a lid over Maxwell in the format. Kuldeep Yadav bowled superbly but he didn’t get enough support from the other end in Brisbane.

Moreover, Virat Kohli might prefer batting at number three after struggling to time the ball at four. Also, KL Rahul looked out of sorts when he needed to up the ante from the word go.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya/Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.