India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Indore: Preview, prediction, likely XIs

The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati was abandoned without a ball being bowled, meaning when things shift to Indore for the second T20I on Tuesday, January 7, not much will have changed.

Only, this will now be a three-match series, and the winner of the clash in Indore will ensure they will not be defeated in the series. That should be motivation enough for each team, with both sides still having plenty to do to figure things out, with the T20 World Cup looming ever so slightly larger with each passing day.

And so, for India, the quest for the second opener will continue. The management will hope to see Shikhar Dhawan in action, given KL Rahul has impressed during the Delhi man’s absence over the last month. With Rohit Sharma rested for the series, there is an opportunity for Dhawan to show the selectors he’s still got it, and it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out with Rahul at the other end.

There will also be keen interest in how Jasprit Bumrah performs. The paceman is undoubtedly India’s X Factor player, but he’s been out injured since September, and has played little to no cricket since then. The hope is that he can recover his best form despite the lay-off, but with injuries, it’s never easy to tell.

As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, this is very much a side with a youthful bent to it, irrespective of the return of Angelo Mathews, and the visitors will be monitoring carefully the performance of the likes of Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Wanindu Hasaranga.

They have been inconsistent of late – sweeping Pakistan in Pakistan before being swept in Australia – and it remains to be seen which side of Sri Lanka will be on display in India.

Head to head

India and Sri Lanka have played 17 T20Is against each other so far. India are well and truly in front in the head-to-head count, with 11 wins. Sri Lanka have won only five times, but they did, at one point, hold a 4-3 lead from 2009 to 2016.

Key players

Shikhar Dhawan (India): A lot of focus will be on Dhawan. His place in the side is under scrutiny, and with Rohit Sharma being rested, Dhawan has a chance to put the selectors in a quandary with a few good performances this series.

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka): The last time Mathews played a T20I was in August 2018 against South Africa in Colombo. Since then, due to a combination of injuries and other priorities, Mathews has been out of the side, but is now back in with the T20 World Cup approaching. Does he still have it in the shortest format?

Likely XIs

India: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk),     Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini

Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera (wk), Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Malinga (c)

Prediction

India to win and make it 1-0.