India’s outing in the first T20I against Australia at Mohali wasn’t fruitful as the home side lost to the visitors by 4 wickets in a high-run chase. The defeat raises too many questions for the Men in Blue ahead of the T20 World Cup in October.
After a poor Asia Cup campaign, Rohit Sharma & co. were expected to bounce back to gain confidence and rhyme ahead of the marquee event. However, that wasn’t the case as they put down their swords for the current T20 World Champions.
Despite a great display of batting, Team India fell short of a victory as they leaked runs at an alarming rate. Apart from Axar Patel, every other bowler was hit all-round the park by the Aussie batters. If Rohit Sharma-led side want to make a comeback, they have to make some changes.
In this article, we look at three changes that Team India should make for the second T20I against Australia:
1) Ravi Ashwin in for Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal leaked 42 runs in just 3.2 overs, taking the wicket of Tim David when the match was almost over. Though he has been a server of Indian cricket for some time now, he has been expensive in the shortest format of the game. Giving away these many runs never helps the team and only puts them under pressure.
Thus, Ravi Ashwin, who has been very economical, should be brought in place of Chahal. This will allow the Indian side to build pressure on the opposition. Ashwin is far more experienced and has more variations under his armory, which could be useful at different stages of the game.
2) Deepak Chahar in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was at the helm of criticism after he miserably failed to deliver in the death over once again. Kumar gave away 16 runs in the 19th over and ended up conceding 52 off his four overs. Being a veteran bowler, the Indian side expect more from him, especially towards the business end.
However, he is far from that level, which is not a good sign going into the T20 World Cup. Deepak Chahar, who has been kept as a reserve player for the mega event, should be brought in to test his performance. He has similar abilities and can come in handy with the bat as well.
3) Jasprit Bumrah in place of Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav’s return to the national side didn’t come off well as he was smashed for 16 runs. Despite picking 2 wickets, he was looking a bit sluggish. Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, is expected to be fit for the second T20I.
Hence, it’s a no-brainer that Bumrah will walk into the side. Yadav is expected to make place for him in the XI. The Indian team will hope that Bumrah finds his rhyme as soon as possible, with the World Cup approaching.
