Overview:
India returned to winning ways by starting off the T20I series with a win. Their bowling, particularly their spin department, was very impressive. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back in his rhythm while Varun Chakravarthy did what he had to. The Indian team might be a bit disappointed with their death over batting but surely the Indian youngsters know how to bounce back.
After bowling brilliantly to restrict India at 164, Sri Lanka crumbled to a dramatic collapse from what looked like an easy win. The bowlers did well with the ball but contributed almost nothing with the bat. They have to win this one to keep the series alive.
The ongoing COVID scare in the Indian camp might event lead to cancellation of this game and the 3rd T20I if any more cases pop up.
Venue & Time:
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo at 8 PM (IST) on 28 July
Team News:
With Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav announced as the replacements for the England Tests, their availability becomes doubtful. Though, captain Shikhar Dhawan has made it clear that they would only leave after the completion of this series, and with Gaikwad and Padikkal, both openers, still waiting for their chances and with just 2 T20Is left, it is possible that either of them gets a go over Shaw for this T20I. Krunal Pandya has been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is due to being infected with COVID-19.
India Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Varun Chakravarthy
Sri Lanka would be waiting for the update on Charith Asalanka, their highest run scorer in the last game. He is doubtful with a hamstring injury. They might want to make few changes in their batting but they are left with very few options with Bhanuka Rajapaksa being injured too. If Asalanka is ruled out, then Sadeera Samarawickrama may replace him.
Sri Lanka Probable XI: Avishka Fernando, Minod Bhanuka (WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ashen Bandara, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya.
Pitch Report:
The pitch might be batting friendly but just like the first game, expect the game to be dominated by the spinners.
Fun Facts:
1. All of Indian frontline bowlers (among the ones who have played T20I) - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (49 Wickets & 23 Runs), Deepak Chahar (20 Wickets & 1 Run), Yuzvendra Chahal (63 Wickets & 5 Runs), Varun Chakravarthy (1 Wicket & No Run), Navdeep Saini (13 Wicket & 11 Runs), Kuldeep Yadav (39 Wickets & 20 Runs) and Rahul Chahar (3 Wickets & No Run) have picked more wickets than the amount of runs they have scored in their respective T20I careers.
2. If Shikhar Dhawan scores a half-century, he would complete the half-century of his international half-centuries. He, currently, has 49 international half-centuries.
3. If Dasun Shanaka gets a chance to bat, this would be his 100th T20 inning.
4. This will be 50th T20I for Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal. Bhuvneshwar has a chance to complete 50 T20I matches as he is just one shy of the milestone.
5. If Sri Lanka loses this Match, this would be their 9th T20I series loss in 10 T20I series since 2019. Their only T20I series win came over Pakistan in Pakistan when they defeated them by 3-0.
6. If Kuldeep Yadav gets a chance, this would be his 100th T20 game.
Dream XI Prediction:
