India vs Zimbabwe 2016, 2nd T20I at Harare: Jasprit Bumrah vs Hamilton Masakadza and other clashes of importance

KL Rahul has been in sizzling form though he was bowled by Donald Tiripano for a golden duck in the last match.

India and Zimbabwe will battle it out in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) of the three-match series on Monday at Harare Sports Club. Visitors, having lost the first game by only two runs will be hoping to make a comeback in the second. MS Dhoni gave opportunity to five players to make their T20I debut in the last match after having made a clean sweep of the One-Day International (ODI) series. None of them were very impressive. He might contemplate to drop a few of them for the second clash. Wars are harder to win if you lose your major battles. Bhaskar Narayan takes a passionate look at the key battles which might play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the match. Full Cricket Scorecard: Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd T20I, at Harare

1. Jasprit Bumrah vs Hamilton Masakadza: Bumrah picked two wickets in the last game and was the most penetrating of all Indian bowlers. In the match, he became the first Indian to take 50 T20 wickets in a calendar year. A towering achievement though cheerless for both him and the team as India lost by only two runs. Maskadza was not among runs in the ODI series but his quickfire 25 off just 15 balls set up the match for the Zimbabweans. If India wants to square the series, it is necessary that they send Masakadza back to the dugout as early as possible. The task is cut out for Bumrah. He got Masakadza out in the last game but after his brief cameo. Dhoni might prefer opening the bowling with Bumrah this time around.

2. KL Rahul vs Donald Tiripano: Rahul has been in sizzling form though he got out by Tiripano for a golden duck in the last match. Tiripano bowled a good length ball slightly outside the off stump. Rahul attempted to steer the ball at the third man region but ended up dragging it onto his stumps. He has to remain a little cautious against Tiripano. It’s better that Rahul starts to play himself in before attempting scoring shots as he has the ability to change gear and accelerate if required. India vs Zimbabwe 2016, 2nd T20I at Harare, Predictions and Preview: Resurgent Zimbabwe look to seal series against India

3. Elton Chigumbura vs Barinder Sran: Chigumbura’s blitz took Zimbabwe to a handsome 170 in the first T20I. He gave Jaydev Undakat some serious hammering in the game. Unadkat is likely to make way for Sran. One left-arm pacer will replace another. Sran will have to make sure that he does not repeats the mistake of Unadkat, who found it tough keeping a tight line and length.

4. Akshar Patel vs Donald Tiripano: Akshar took on Tiripano in the final stages of the last game and brought India quite close to victory. He might not be able to repeat the same in the second T20I. If he does, nothing like that. Graeme Cremer, in high probability would refrain from giving him the ball at the death. But if he does, it will be an engaging battle which fans will relish.

5. Manish Pandey vs Malcolm Waller: Pandey top-scored for India with his 35-ball 48 in the first T20I. Waller contributed with 30-run knock off 21 balls for Zimbabwe. This will be an important clash between these two middle-order batters although they will not directly face each other. The cricketer who scores more and at a quick pace will conquer this battle.

(Bhaskar Narayan is a reporter at CricketCountry and Criclife. He passionately follows the game and is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. His Twitter handle is @Cricopathy)

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