India are getting ready to play their second T20I match of the series against England on Saturday in Manchester. The opening game of the series was rained out after the visiting side batted first and posted 189 runs on the board for the loss of seven wickets.
The match on Saturday could see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting his debut cap. He is likely to replace Samson, who has scored just six runs from his last three matches. Abhishek Sharma will be the second opener, and the southpaw scored 59 runs in the previous game. Number three – Ishan Kishan Ishan Kishan had a game to forget on Wednesday after being crowned the new world number one T20I batter.
The 27-year-old was run out in the second successive game and will be keen to bounce back. Kishan has scored 1341 runs from 48 matches in the T20I format at a strike rate of 146. Middle-order – Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma Shreyas Iyer came back to form with his knock of 68 in the last game. The 31-year-old batter did well and showed glimpses of his talents in this format of the game.
Tilak Varma has been facing a lot of questions over his strike rate in the last few games. Left-handed batter will have a huge role to play in the middle overs. All-rounders – Shivam Dube and Axar Patel The 33-year-old Shivam Dube provided the much-needed momentum at the end of the innings with his 21-ball 42 not out. Chennai Super Kings star, who struggled during the series against Ireland, managed to get back into prime form.
Axar Patel, too, will have a massive role to play not just with the bat but also with the ball, with Manchester likely to afford some turn and bounce. Pace bowlers – Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh Old Trafford has always been known as a haven for fast bowling, and the two Indian seamers can get good purchase with the conditions on offer. Arshdeep Singh can make use of the better swinging conditions with the new ball. Harshit Rana has that extra pace and bounce that can surprise opposition batters.
Spinners – Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi Varun Chakravarthy was a surprise last-minute addition to the squad after recovering from his injury. The 34-year-old had missed the Ireland series, which saw the Men in Blue struggle in the spin bowling department. Ravi Bishnoi has a good record in the T20I format and will be eager to nail down his spot in the side. Both bowlers are former World Number 1 in this format and will be keen to bamboozle the hosts, who struggle against spin bowling. Predicted India XI vs England Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi