India were really poor in the first T20 clash against Sri Lanka in Pune and struggled against a second string Sri Lankan attack on a green pitch. It’s rare for a side like India to lose all 10 wickets in a T20 match and to make a score as low as 103, as they did in Pune. It’s rarer still for something like this to happen on home turf.
It’s hard to predict anything with this Indian team. One certainly did not expect a team with T20 stars like Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and of course, captain MS Dhoni to capitulate so easily against such a young and inexperienced Sri Lanka side who are without so many of their main players like Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews and Tilekaratne Dilshan. This just goes to show that there something seriously wrong with the Indian side, but nobody quite knows what it is.
Is it captain MS Dhoni? It’s been a long time since Dhoni has done anything significant in international cricket. The Dhoni of today seems to be a shadow of his former self. Yuvraj and Raina have made a comeback into the Indian side, but they have done nothing so far to justify their selection.
Sri Lanka on the other hand would be proud at how their boys performed. Pune’s match goes to show that there is no dearth of talen I the island nation. Young Kasun Rajitha was very sharp and seamed the ball beautifully. Dushmantha Chameera was fast and accurate. Young allrounder Dasun Shanaka impressed with his bowling and took the crucial wickets of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.
[table id=35 /]
India now move on to Dhoni’s home ground Ranchi. The Ranchi track will help their spinners Ashwin and Jadeja as it is slow, low and offers a lot of turn. India are likely to bring in spin bowling allrounder Pawan Negi ahead of Hardik Pandya, who really hasn’t done much.
India’s best bowlers are Ravi Ashwin and the aging warhorse Ashish Nehra who is making his latest comeback. Nehra was actually very good with the new ball and controlled it very beautifully. Ashwin has always troubled the Sri Lankans and he looks set to continue doing so in Ranchi as well.
The Teams
India : 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 MS Dhoni (capt.)(wk), 6 Yuvraj Singha, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish Nehra
Sri Lanka: 1 Niroshan Dickwella, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.)(wk), 4 Chamara Kapugedara, 5 Dasun Shanaka 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Kasun Rajitha
Match Conditions
This will be the first T20 clash to be hosted by Ranchi and it couldn’t have come sooner. It is important that Indian cricket should explore new areas outside the big metros as cricket is India’s national sport, which should be enjoyed by one and all, not just by those in big cities. Also, we feel the excitement in places like Ranchi for cricket is a lot more than in Delhi or Mumbai. We expect an exciting game with no rain in prospect. The pitch should assist the spinners more than the fast bowlers.
Watch India take on Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20 at Ranchi on Friday at 7:30 PM, live on Star Sports!
