Shubman Gill will aim to raise the bar in the Powerplay overs to keep his nearest competitor Ruturaj Gaikwad at bay as a floating India team looks to use all weapons against Sri Lanka in its bid to clinch the series in the second T20I in Pune on Thursday. India won a two-run last-ball thriller in the opener at Wankhede while defending an under-par score and skipper Hardik Pandya spoke of the benefits of overcoming difficult situations as the team progresses.
While T20Is are not top priority in an ODI World Cup year, Gill will be reluctant to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors as he aims to cement his place in the T20I squad after building a reputation for himself in the longer drafts .
Gill’s success rate after playing 96 T20 games (mainly IPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) is a modest 128.74 and even on his debut he looked like a shaky starter.
While Gill has opened up a lot for KKR and even been an integral part of the top ranking for Gujarat Titans, his game is mainly based on consolidation and then going for the kill.
However, this is the same approach that had cost KL Rahul a place in the T20 team. While skipper Pandya, like every other Indian captain in the recent past, has promised a fearless approach at the top, he would need each of his players to speak up.
The Indian T20 cabinet is buzzing with talent with players like Ruturaj and Rahul Tripathi chilling their heels in the dugout.
Both Gill and Ishan Kishan are expected to get all three games in the series and a powerful Powerplay will also give the batters coming down more confidence to play fearless cricket.
The batting unit is eager to score more runs in the second game and a lot will depend on how new vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav does what is known as “front-loading” (heavy-duty hitting in the first 10 overs) in cricket jargon.
Surya was sacked cheaply, one of his rare T20 failures after a gold 2022, but it had more to do with a little less pace on the surface, unlike Australia and New Zealand where the ‘blind scoop’ over ’45 ‘ would normally go for a six.
But the clever operator that he is, Surya will find a way to maneuver against a Sri Lankan bowling attack that relies more on spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Theekshana who took two wickets and gave away just 51 runs in their cumulative eight overs.
Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel’s batting was praised by all and their utility can be seen.
Shivam Mavi’s dream debut is certainly a great relief for skipper Pandya, who could be credited for taking the new ball and bowling a sharp first spell alongside the newcomer.
Mavi (4/22), with his ability to swing the ball, and the raw pace of Umran Malik (2/27) are a welcome addition to this T20 playing XI and look to be long term investments for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The worry, however, will be leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who must have lost a bit of confidence after being ignored during the T20 World Cup.
In fact, Chahal went for 26 in his first two overs and the skipper couldn’t get him to complete his spell.
India: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (VC for ODIs), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (for T20Is only), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (VC for T20Is), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (Only for ODIs), Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (Only for ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Thushara (Only for T20Is).
Featured video of the day
IPL auction 2023: Sam Curran becomes most expensive buy as teams splash the cash
Topics mentioned in this article