After the close fought encounter played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Christmas Day, Pakistan and India come face to face, to play the second and the final T20 international of this short series. One down, India will try and do whatever it takes to win the match and even the series. While, Pakistan on the other hand will try to make the best use of the momentum they have, which started with beating India for the first time in T20 internationals.
Till the Ishant-Kamran tongue wagging took place in the closing stages of the match, the 22 yards at Bangalore, was the only source of drama witnessed - something that is time and again expected from this series. It had enough moisture to allow the ball to nip around and ensure a good outing for the likes of Umar Gul and debutante, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. Especially in the second half, during Ishant's second spell, we got to see glimpses of Melbourne (CB Series ODI, 2008) with the batsmen trying hard to connect bat to ball. At times, such juicy wickets actually make for a fun watch. Every time, the ball narrowly missed the bat or the stumps, the crowds roared and with every roar, returned the confidence that bowlers too have something to derive out of T20s.
What aided the Pakistani bowlers in the first half, apart from the Gul spell, was the uncanny ability of Team India to make a mess out of a strong position. From 77/1, little did the fans imagine that the innings would end up at 133 but such is the unpredictability of the game and not forgetting, the predictable running from the Indians. The Pakistan team too stuck to their reputation and made what would be a relatively easy chase into a hard fought one. A lot of credit must go to the young lad from Uttar Pradesh, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar - who turned the match around its head with the three early wickets. But a gritty knock from Hafeez and the local lad (oops, local son-in-law), Shoaib Malik saw Pakistan home with two balls to spare.
As our focus turns to Ahmedabad, the venue of India's last international victory, what comes to mind is the slow-nature of the pitch. It's hard to expect good seam movement off the Ahmedabad pitch and that's where the key question about the playing eleven comes in. A lot of talk has gone into whether Ashwin should've played in the last game or not, all the questions being uncomfortably dealt by the Indian skipper, MS Dhoni. However, if signs are to be believed, Ashwin should be a certainty in the playing eleven for the 2nd T20I, but, what will be really interesting to see is who misses out. As of now, the two names one can think of is Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. With many experts calling for Jadeja to be benched in place of Ashwin.
However, on that note, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Jadeja has a stronger case to stay in the XI. Considering the fact that there are very few left handers in the Pakistan line-up, a left-arm off spinner would always be handy in taking the ball away from the right-handers. Besides, Jadeja also provides an additional utility in the form of his brisk batting and containing bowling abilities, where Sharma loses out. Rohit Sharma is of the Virat Kohli mould, someone who would help in building an innings. But to imagine him playing higher up the order, with the likes of Kohli, Yuvraj and Raina already there, would be a little difficult. And hence, there is no sense in keeping Rohit waiting in the dug out till the 17th-18th over and allowing him to come out at No.7 and throw his wicket away while trying to slog. And that is exactly why, it'd be quite logical to have the big-hitter Jadeja play and give the luxury of an extra batsman who can bowl as well.
It is highly unlikely that Pakistan would want to change their winning combination. But, their top-order cannot afford to fail twice in a row.
What India would ideally want is a good knock from either Yuvraj, Kohli or Raina, with the others playing second fiddle to them. Likewise, if a strong foundation can be laid by Gambhir and Rahane, it will be interesting to see whether Dhoni decides to promote himself up the order and play at number three, a position which most former players feel Dhoni plays best at.
On current form, Pakistan seem favourites to win this encounter and with it, the series. But at the same time, one can't write India off. However, for India to win, a far far better performance has to be put in by the middle-order, so that unlike the previous match, the bowlers will have greater runs to play with.
What aided the Pakistani bowlers in the first half, apart from the Gul spell, was the uncanny ability of Team India to make a mess out of a strong position. From 77/1, little did the fans imagine that the innings would end up at 133 but such is the unpredictability of the game and not forgetting, the predictable running from the Indians. The Pakistan team too stuck to their reputation and made what would be a relatively easy chase into a hard fought one. A lot of credit must go to the young lad from Uttar Pradesh, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar - who turned the match around its head with the three early wickets. But a gritty knock from Hafeez and the local lad (oops, local son-in-law), Shoaib Malik saw Pakistan home with two balls to spare.
As our focus turns to Ahmedabad, the venue of India's last international victory, what comes to mind is the slow-nature of the pitch. It's hard to expect good seam movement off the Ahmedabad pitch and that's where the key question about the playing eleven comes in. A lot of talk has gone into whether Ashwin should've played in the last game or not, all the questions being uncomfortably dealt by the Indian skipper, MS Dhoni. However, if signs are to be believed, Ashwin should be a certainty in the playing eleven for the 2nd T20I, but, what will be really interesting to see is who misses out. As of now, the two names one can think of is Jadeja and Rohit Sharma. With many experts calling for Jadeja to be benched in place of Ashwin.
However, on that note, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Jadeja has a stronger case to stay in the XI. Considering the fact that there are very few left handers in the Pakistan line-up, a left-arm off spinner would always be handy in taking the ball away from the right-handers. Besides, Jadeja also provides an additional utility in the form of his brisk batting and containing bowling abilities, where Sharma loses out. Rohit Sharma is of the Virat Kohli mould, someone who would help in building an innings. But to imagine him playing higher up the order, with the likes of Kohli, Yuvraj and Raina already there, would be a little difficult. And hence, there is no sense in keeping Rohit waiting in the dug out till the 17th-18th over and allowing him to come out at No.7 and throw his wicket away while trying to slog. And that is exactly why, it'd be quite logical to have the big-hitter Jadeja play and give the luxury of an extra batsman who can bowl as well.
It is highly unlikely that Pakistan would want to change their winning combination. But, their top-order cannot afford to fail twice in a row.
What India would ideally want is a good knock from either Yuvraj, Kohli or Raina, with the others playing second fiddle to them. Likewise, if a strong foundation can be laid by Gambhir and Rahane, it will be interesting to see whether Dhoni decides to promote himself up the order and play at number three, a position which most former players feel Dhoni plays best at.
On current form, Pakistan seem favourites to win this encounter and with it, the series. But at the same time, one can't write India off. However, for India to win, a far far better performance has to be put in by the middle-order, so that unlike the previous match, the bowlers will have greater runs to play with.
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