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India
Afghanistan
The second T20I will give India a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, while Afghanistan will need a much better performance to stay alive.
India will enter the match with a strong recent record against Afghanistan, having won all of the last 5 head-to-head meetings. The Delhi venue will again be important, especially for the chasing side, as 3 of those 5 recent meetings have been won by the team batting second.
India will be expected to build on their opening-match performance, but Afghanistan will look to put more pressure on them by targeting the mistakes that appeared in the first game.
With the series already leaning heavily in India's favour, the second T20I will likely see Afghanistan take more risks with both bat and ball. India will aim to control the game through their stronger overall record and take another step towards a clean sweep.
India's stronger batting depth and recent top-order form make them more likely to produce the match's highest run-scorer as compared to Afghanistanβs batting unit.
The betting tip is...
Top Batterβs Team - India
69 %
31 %
IndiaAfghanistanIndia left Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out after he won Player of the Match and Player of the Series in his previous international match.
Sanju Samson took his place and scored 10 off 8 balls, while Abhishek Sharma made 82 off 32 balls with 7 fours and 7 sixes. Ishan Kishan also contributed 42 off 33 balls as India reached 157/3 in just 13.4 overs and chased the total comfortably through their strong batting.
Arshdeep Singh has been the pick of the bowlers with 3/19 from 4 overs, while Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy had taken 1 wicket each. Vaibhav and Abhishek had done enough to retain their places. Dropping a player immediately after strong performances has raised concerns about player security and team morale.
Abhishek, Kishan and Iyer are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
Afghanistan had posted 156/8 in the first T20I, with Azmatullah Omarzai leading the batting effort with an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls, including 4 fours and 4 sixes. Mohammad Nabi had added 33 off 27 balls and also took 2 wickets for 28 runs.
Azmatullah Omarzai took 1 wicket, while the other 4 Afghanistan bowlers failed to take any wickets.
Rashid Khan remains 7 wickets away from becoming the first player to reach 200 T20I wickets.
Afghanistan used 4 spinners and only 2 pacers in the first match, with Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi as the two seam options. Naveen-ul-Haq could return after a two-year absence, which will create a selection call between Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
Omarzai, Nabi and Gurbaz are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
India will again have the stronger batting unit and will be expected to produce the match's top run-scorer. Abhishek Sharma will bring a T20I strike rate of 180+ in the powerplay, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will offer a similar attacking option with a 189.21 strike rate. However, his place ahead of Sanju Samson remains uncertain.
India also have Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma to add depth through the middle overs and across the batting order. Abhishek's 82 off 32 balls in the first T20I will give India further confidence, while Ishan will have scored 42 off 33.
Afghanistan will need to contain India's top order early, but India's greater batting depth and stronger bowling attack will make their batters more likely to dominate the match.
