Australia tour of India 2nd T20I

Live Cricket Score, Series: Australia tour of India, 2023 Venue: Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

Then to Thiruvananthapuram, which is as far south as international cricket tours in India. When the Greenfield International Stadium here made its debut in international cricket in 2017, India captain Virat Kohli expressed his "wonder" why the venue had not hosted the game earlier, impressed by the outfield, crowd and facilities in general. . Six years later, this second T20 between India and Australia is set to be the sixth international cricket match played here despite a two-year Covid timeout. This is impressive by Indian standards, as there are many places to choose from

Again, the challenge ahead will be adjusting to the nuances of the conditions at this venue. Compared to Visakhapatnam, the pitch in this coastal city may be slower, the bounce less and the sun hotter, but India of all teams will know that conditions alone will not be enough to stump Australia.

India must have come into this game full of confidence, chasing their highest successful T20I run despite an inexperienced squad. Mukesh Kumar's immaculate death bowling, Rinku Singh's finishing prowess and the overall intent of everyone including Yasshwi, Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav himself were notable but some work is needed, especially in terms of runs between the wickets. There were three run outs in the first match, the joint-most for India in the format.

For Australia, Josh Inglis' 47-ball century and Jason Behrendorff's frugal spell with the ball, which saw him use slower deliveries on a real batting surface, stood out in a close two-wicket defeat. And the team would have left Visakhapatnam knowing that this was a match that could easily have gone their way, so less separated the two teams. They would ideally want to touch down in Guwahati alone.

When: India vs Australia, 2nd T20I, Sunday, 26 November 2023, 7:00 pm local

Where: Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

What to expect: Some help on the surface for bowlers. In the last T20 here, South Africa were reduced to 9/5 in 2.3 overs by Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar. Most recently here, Mitchell Starc scored a hat-trick in the ODI World Cup warm-up match against the Netherlands.

The pitch, which also looks ripe for slow turns, is located on one side of the square, so expect the two captains to be wary of the short side when picking edges for their bowlers. Bounce tests conducted by the groundsmen on the eve of the game suggested that good length balls should only bounce as high as the shin.

Crowd attendance at this venue has been hot and cold and it's anyone's guess how full (or not) this 50,000 seater stadium will look during the match. Heavy rain on the eve of the match will not disrupt the game.

Team News

India The team could ideally stick to their winning combination but that would come with the familiar limitations of working with four frontline bowlers and Akshar Patel's all-round skills. Fortunately, though, they have Tilak Verma who can turn his hand on a slightly more spin-friendly pitch in Thiruvananthapuram.

Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma, both uncapped T20Is, spent one-on-one time with bowling coach Sairaj Bahutul during India's practice session on the eve of the match.

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashwi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (W), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Verma, Rinku Singh, Akshar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasid Krishna

Australia

Fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has confirmed that all are available for selection for this match but don't be surprised if Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa get some more time to get into their legs. That said, Glenn Maxwell's offbreak wouldn't be a bad idea against India's stream of left-handers.

Probable XI: Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardy, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (w/c), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Tanvir Sangh

do you know

No one has scored more T20 runs in the middle overs since 2021 than Suryakumar Yadav

Across 6 T20Is, Rinku Singh averages 97 with a strike-rate of 194

Mukesh Kumar, one of the top performers in the first T20I, came in cold in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking up just two wickets in five games and conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.29.

what did they say

"Yeah, give the ball to somebody else" - Jason Behrendorf tongue in cheek on his bowling plan against Suryakumar Yadav

"I also like to finish the game and I am learning from Rinku [Singh]. He is doing it very consistently for India" - Tilak Verma