The second and the final T20I between India and Sri Lanka will be played at Mohali. Sri Lanka had won the first T20I by beating India by 29 runs at Nagpur, and the side will now look to drill home the advantage by making it 2-0 at Mohali. India, on the other hand, will look to stall the four match losing streak in this format of the game.

In MS Dhoni's words, it does seem like the Indians have not yet taken up this format too seriously. He had also mentioned that most of the Indian players take this format as a preparation for the fifty overs game, which makes it difficult for them to win games. Dhoni will need to come up with a strategy to overcome this mindset, and probably drill home the point.

He tried doing just that by promoting himself up the order in the chase on Wednesday, but failed to get going after Gautam Gambhir had given them a blistering start. Earlier, Virender Sehwag had begun well, only to fall in his twenties again! Someone should convince him into playing an innings like he does in tests, which includes going after the bowling in the first six overs and then settling down to bat through the entire length of the twenty overs!

From the bowling perspective, there was not much in the pitch, but Ishant Sharma's pace and bounce in his first spell was commendable. Ashish Nehra's debut was not as fruitful, while Ashok Dinda wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya should have given him more confidence. Hopefully, the Indian bowlers will get a lot more purchase from the Mohali wicket, but then, it also augurs that the biting cold there will ensure that the dew will be much more and hence there will be pressure on the team batting first.

Talking of dew, the Indian side fielded like there was wetness on their hands. There were five missed catches, apart from a run-out opportunity and tons of misfields. The appointment of Mike Young as the fielding consultant could not have come at a better time and one should expect a much better performance in the second T20I.

From the Sri Lankan perspective, it was refreshing to see Kumar Sangakkara play an innings like the one he did, after a long time. Apart from him, Chamara Kapugedera's innings really stunned the Indians, as they would have barely expected him to go after the bowling in the manner he did. With T.Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya yet to really fire, it could be a warning call for the Indians to be careful about the way they bowl to the Lankan top-order. With a reasonably strong bowling line-up, the Lankans could be a threat in the second T20I as well!

Tag :- Ashok Dinda   Gautam Gambhir   India   Kumar Sangakkara   Sanath Jayasuriya   Sri Lanka   Virender Sehwag