IND vs AUS, 2nd T20I: Preview, Key Stats and matchups, Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Australia won the first game convincingly [PC: Twitter]

Australia will clash with hosts India in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Friday at 7.00 PM IST. The match will be telecasted live on Star Sports Network and Hotstar. 

The first game of the series in Mohali saw truckloads of runs being scored, with the visitors outclassing the home side eventually by four wickets. Bowlers from both sides, barring Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood and Axar Patel, had forgettable outings, as the batters didn't miss any chance of capitalising on the slightest of errors. 

Moving on to the second game, big names like Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal would like to put an impact with the ball. As it's a do-or-die encounter for India, they would want their bowlers to step up, particularly in the death overs, where they have faltered repeatedly in recent times. 

About the Venue

VCA Stadium, Nagpur

Pitch Report

The surface at the VCA stadium in Nagpur has traditionally been on the drier side. The bounce will be even here, but the batters must be patient to score runs, as the ball doesn't often come nicely onto the bat. Spinners and the pacers, who bowl cutters and slow balls, are expected to thrive here. Ideally, it is a bat-first pitch. 

Ground Statistics

Total Matches played: 12
Matches Won by team batting first: 9
Matches Won by team batting second: 3
Average Runs per over: 7.26

The chasing team has won only one out of the last five games at the venue. 

Key Stats and Matchups (in this series)

KL Rahul in Powerplay: 22 runs off 14 balls, Strike rate: 157.1, Balls per boundary: 4.67

Nathan Ellis in death overs: 2 wickets for 18 runs, Dot Percentage: 33.33

Hardik Pandya in death overs: 53 runs off 20 balls, Strike Rate: 265, Balls per boundary: 2.22

Josh Hazlewood in Powerplay: 1 wicket for 15 runs, Dot Percentage: 50

Cameron Green vs Yuzvendra Chahal: 21 runs off 8 balls, Balls per boundary: 2

Rohit Sharma vs Pat Cummins: 10 runs off 6 balls, Strike Rate: 166.7

Cameron Green vs Axar Patel: 8 runs off 8 balls, 1 dismissal, Dot Percentage: 62.5

Matthew Wade vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 23 runs off 8 balls, BPB: 1.6

Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Wicket-Keeper: Matthew Wade
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Steven Smith, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Cameron Green
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Yuzvendra Chahal, Nathan Ellis

Captain: Axar Patel
Vice Captain: Suryakumar Yadav

Also Read: Lisa Sthalekar showers praise on Harmanpreet Kaur