T20 World Cup 2021: India aims for big win against Scotland to keep semis hopes going
By Ayush Gupta | First Published Nov 5, 2021, 7:30 AM ISTIndia has somewhat recovered from its horrific start in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. As it looks to keep its semis hopes alive, it takes on Scotland in the Super 12 stage in Dubai on Friday.
Former champion India has been off to a terrible start in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Although it has somewhat recovered, it still has some tasks left to do, as it takes on minnows Scotland in the Group 2 Super 12 tie at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday. It is a must-win clash for India, as a loss would rule it out of semis contention. On the same note, we present the match preview.
Current form
India has played three games, losing a couple and winning three, while it won both its warm-up matches. As for Scotland, it has almost all three games in this stage, while it was unbeaten in the three Group Stage games. Nonetheless, judging by the current form, it favours the Indians, while a loss for Scots would rule them out of the semis contention.
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Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
Considering the teams, India has a balanced side, while its strength and weaknesses are equal. Although the batters were dull initially, they bounced back in the previous game against the Afghans. However, its bowling has been working somewhat hard owing to a poor show by the batters. Skipper Virat Kohli Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma are the batters to be watched out for. Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur and Varun Chakravarthy would look to nail it with the ball.
In the meantime, Scotland, too, is evenly poised. It is its batting that has impressed, while its bowling needs to fire more effectively. Skipper Kyle Coetzer, Richie Berrington, Michael Leask, Josh Davey, Matthew Cross, Chris Greaves, and Mark Watt are the top players who can impact.
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Injury concerns, head-to-head, weather and pitch report
India has an injury concern regarding spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has a niggle, while Scotland is free on injuries. The two sides have met once in the format but ended in a no-contest. The Dubai weather would be heated with 32 degrees of an expected temperature and 55% humidity. The pitch would stay even with equal support for batters and bowlers, while it occasionally gets slow. Nevertheless, the side winning the toss would chase, keeping the dew factor in mind.
Probable XI
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans and Bradley Wheal.
Fantasy XI
Batters: Rohit (vc), Rahul (c), Munsey- Rohit and Rahul would give an explosive start, while Munsey would consolidate at number three. Rohit and Rahul's decent form makes them the deputy and skipper, respectively.
Wicketkeepers: Cross, Pant- Cross and Pant have delivered for most of the season and are well in form.
All-rounders: Jadeja, Leask- Both men are in form with the ball, while Jadeja will be equally effective with the bat.
Bowlers: Ashwin, Shami, Bumrah, Sharif- Ashwin would give a hard time to the batters with his spin, while the remaining three have been effective with their sheer pace so far.
Match details
Date and day: November 5, 2021 (Friday)
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (Also available in HD, along with regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
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