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India vs England Second T20I Preview: Hosts need a reboot

By Sridhar Bhamidi

13 Mar 2021

Sridhar Bhamidi 13 Mar 2021

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India host England in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the second T20I on Sunday, in the five match series
England won the first match on Friday with eight wickets in hand and 27 balls to spare
The chasing side has won 11 of India's last 14 completed T20Is played at home
Shikhar Dhawan has failed to hit a 6 in his last 4 matches against England
Jason Roy has scored at least 40 in 5 of his last 9 T20Is

Another trial by pace for the Indians? (Getty Images)

England underlined their T20I credentials with an all-round eight-wicket win over India in the first match of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India will look to bounce back quickly and try to stay in touch with England, as the teams prepare for a Sunday showdown.

India Form

India looked woefully out of touch on a placid Ahmedabad track scoring only 124/7 after being asked to bat first. It was their second-lowest completed total against England, as each of the top-four Indian batsmen were dismissed for less than 30 runs. If not for Shreyas Iyer’s 67 off 48 balls, India would have been bowled out for far lesser.

The Indian spinners couldn’t make any impression on the pitch that looked more conducive to express pace. Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t have the same impact as the Test spinners, with each of the three Indian spinners conceding more than seven runs per over.

India News

Rohit Sharma could earn a recall after resting from the first match, probably at the expense of Shikhar Dhawan. There’s a temptation to play Suryakumar Yadav in place of Rishabh Pant and give KL Rahul the gloves.

England Form

England were clinical and methodical in all three fields with Eoin Morgan’s side picking up their sixth away win in a row. Man of the match Jofra Archer (1/23) and Mark Wood (1/20) kept the Indian batsmen on a tight leash. From there on, it was catch-22 for the Indians and they couldn’t recover.

With the bat, it was once again a comprehensive show with the top-four each scoring at least 20 runs. Jason Roy’s aggressive 49 helped England start the chase on the front foot and end with 27 balls to spare.

England News

England have no reasons to tinker with their winning combination, although they may look to rotate Mark Wood considering the way they have monitored his work load.

India vs England Head-to-Head

England are now 8-7 ahead of India in career H2H matches with the score being 4-3 in England’s favour for matches played in India.

India vs England Match Up

England will look to continue their T20 template as the likes of Roy, Malan, Archer, and Rashid try to keep them ahead of India. The hosts have a lot of questions to answer, especially on their aggressive intent at the start of innings. India will also hope for better purchase and returns for their spinners, who remain their big ticket to a series comeback.

India vs England Stats

The chasing side has won 11 of India’s last 14 completed home T20Is.
India have conceded more runs in the powerplay in 4 of their last 5 matches against England.
Shikhar Dhawan has failed to hit a six in 12 of his last 17 T20Is and in his last 4 matches against England.
England have won 14 of their last 17 away T20Is including 6 in a row.
Jason Roy has scored at least 40 in 5 of his last 9 T20Is and was England’s top-scorer in 4.
England have scored more 6s than India in 10 of their last 12 T20Is including the last 3 in a row.

Prediction

On expected lines, England trounced India and have taken a deserved lead. With their T20 specialists to the fore, England look a far more balanced side than India. At least on the sixes count and the powerplay factor, England have the edge and should fancy their chances. On the individual front, Jason Roy looks a likely candidate to top the England batting charts.