India vs England 2nd T20 Predictions and Match Preview

A large portion of the beauty of any sport lies in its unpredictability, and cricket is no different. Given the sheer strength of the Indian lineup, few would have fancied England to waltz to such an emphatic victory - number one T20 team in the world or not. Nevertheless, they absolutely trounced the hosts, and will now be aiming to go 2-up in the series. India on the other hand will be scrambling to collect themselves after being shaken like that, but given their experience, it’s highly unlikely that it will have a major impact on their performances in the future, and also unlikely that those performances will be similar. With both teams hungry for more, the second match promises to be more closely fought, and before it gets under way, let’s take a look at the two sides.

India

Predicted XI for 2nd T20 vs England

Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Preview and form

Until North Korea gets its own cricket team, the Men in Blue face by far the most pressure from their authorities, media, and people. In a country where literally tens of millions play cricket with the goal of playing for the national team, there are few things tougher than being a part of the national side when it loses badly. Batting first in the first T20, India lost its top order in the blink of an eye, and although Shreyas Iyer’s 67 off 48 gave the innings some much-needed impetus, just about every other player detracted from that, with the only two other players having a 3-digit strike rate scoring 10 runs between them. Putting up a thoroughly unimpressive 124, it was always going to be an uphill battle with the ball. Although Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar picked up a wicket each, no bowler could cramp up the batsman with a miserly economy rate, and by the 16th over, India had lost. 

India key players for 2nd T20 vs England

KL Rahul: If there has ever been a time when Rahul needed to step up for his country, it is now.

Rishabh Pant: Unable to convert his start in the last game, Pant will want to make amends.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Chahal must use every trick in his book to make sure the English stay silent.

Axar Patel: Patel must call upon his form in the Test series to help his team bounce back.

England

Predicted XI for 2nd T20 vs India

Eoin Morgan (c), Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes.

Preview and form

With a slice of revenge had, England will now be keen on asserting their dominance in limited overs formats over their closest rivals. As long as they can perform as they did, and be ready for any sudden changes to the pitch, they should be able to do so. Bowling first in the first T20, Jofra Archer was the star of the show with 3 wickets to his name, while four others took a wicket each to restrict India to a pathetic 124. In reply, Jason Roy fell one short of his half-century, while Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, and Jonny Bairstow all made 20-something cameos to take England home with 27 deliveries and 8 wickets rolling around idly. 

England key players for 2nd T20 vs India

Jos Buttler: With no Root, Buttler will have to take center-stage with the bat for the English.

Dawid Malan: He had a good start that was ended prematurely by a small target, and we think he’ll do well in the next match.

Jofra Archer: Archer was lethal in the first match, and knowing him, he won’t stop there.

Mark Wood: With tremendous speed as well as decent line and length, Wood will be a force to be reckoned with,

India vs England 2nd T20 pitch report and weather conditions

The pitch in Ahmedabad seems to have gone from favouring spinners outright to bowlers in general, although it shouldn’t be too bad to bat on as long as the batsmen aren’t playing poorly, as demonstrated by the second innings yesterday. The team batting first will want to go past at least 160 to feel safe. 

With the searing heat of the day ebbing away, the temperature will become tolerable for the teams, and with all other factors ideal for cricket, expect no interruptions or issues.

Can India strike back immediately? Or will England take themselves one step away from immediate and effective revenge? Find out if our India versus England predictions come true on Sunday!