Ind vs SL 2nd T20I: The Hardik Pandya-led India opened their 2023 campaign with a thrilling victory over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 International on January 3rd in Mumbai. India is currently hosting a bilateral T20I series against Sri Lanka, with the opening match held on Tuesday at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium where India won the contest by a close 2-run margin.
Shivam Mavi and Shubman Gill were handed the International caps in T20I for the first time. Shivam Mavi made it a dream debut while Shubman would be a bit upset with his performance. Shivam Mavi took 4 wickets in his quota of 4 overs whereas the Jammu Express, Umran Malik, took 2 wickets and also clicked 155kps (Read full article). Nevertheless, India won the game, and each and every contribution by any means deserves applause.
After winning the first T20I, the Men in Blue will now meet the Lions in the second T20I on January 5 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) stadium in Pune. The time is 7:00 PM (IST), the same as the first T20I. Here, we discuss the Pune weather for the IND vs SL 2nd T20I as well as the playing surface at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
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Let’s check out, ‘will rain spoil the game?
Ind vs SL 2nd T20I: Weather Forecast Pune
India vs Sri Lanka | 2nd T20I of Sri Lanka tour of India 2023 takes place on January 5 (Thursday) at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune, India. The match begins at 7:00 PM IST.
According to weather.com, on January 5 (Thursday) the temperature of India’s Pune city will be 31° Celsius during the day and drop to 19° Celsius at night. Some clouds might float overhead. The chance of rain is 5% during the day and 5% at night. The humidity will be 52% during the day and increase to 61% at night. Winds will move towards the South-East at a speed of 5-15 kph. That means, the rain would not interrupt the game and we will enjoy the full 40 overs of the contest.
Ind vs SL 2nd T20I: Pitch Report MCA
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has hosted a total of 3 T20I fixtures so far. However, several IPL games have taken place for the teams to be aware of the venue. The pitches at MCA Stadium are made of black soil, which is expected to aid spin bowling. The MCA Stadium’s surfaces are famed for being favorable to batting initially but also assisting spin bowling. And, based on past international and IPL results, the chasing team has the upper hand on the wickets at MCA Stadium in Pune.
The average first innings score in MCA is 153, and it decreases to 128 in the second innings. The pitch is generally good for batting, with some help for the spinners. We can expect a similar deck as it was in the first match at the Wankhede. If we talk about ground dimensions, the straight boundary is approx 74 meters and the square boundaries are 65 meters.
Ind vs SL 2nd T20I: Who will win the 2nd T20I?
Look, there is no doubt that the Indian team is looking stronger than the Sri Lankan team even on man-to-man marking. India have a decent batting depth and we saw on the 1st t20I, what they are capable of! Sri Lanka can amaze India riding on their spinners in the form of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga. Ishan looked in great touch, so seemed Hardik and it won’t be that easy for Sri Lankan bowlers to take them down every time.
Toss can play a major role. This venue has only hosted three international T20s, and in those three games, the chasing team has won two. It doesn’t say much, but it supports the widespread perception that any target can be chased in T20Is. Hardik might wish to bat first once again, with his desire to put the club in challenging positions moving forward. So If India bat first and locked the 170+ runs target, they are going to win it, and if the visitors bat first, they would need a minimum of 180 runs to stop the Indian batting lineup which is never going to be that easy anyway.
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