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Ahmedabad: India will have to quickly plug their batting shortcomings and pick the right team composition when they go into the second and last Twenty20 International against archrivals Pakistan on Friday, hoping to level the two match series 1-1.
India suffered a five-wicket drubbing in the series opener in Bangalore after a middle-order collapse, which saw the hosts struggle to 130 for nine after being 90 for two at one stage.
The hosts desperately need to win the second game to level the series and the pressure will be on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men to deliver the goods when it matters the most.
Apart from Gautam Gambhir (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (42), all the other batsmen failed to apply themselves when confronted against a strong bowling attack spearheaded by the experienced Umar Gul.
In fact, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were the only ones other than the openers to have reached the double figures.
The bowling also remains a persistent headache for the Indians. Except for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with impressive figures of three for nine in his debut game, none of the other bowlers could trouble the Pakistani batsmen. Ashok Dinda and Ishant Sharma also impress in 18th and 19th over.
Spinner Ravindra Jadeja and Yuvraj Singh both struggled to get wickets or even check the flow of runs.
The decision to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin in the last match was seen as a move that worked in Pakistan's favour and Dhoni might be tempted to play him in the must-win tie.
Pakistan, on the other hand, lived up to their reputation of a strong bowling unit with three specialist pacers -- Gul, Sohail Tanvir and debutant Mohammad Irfan -- wrecking havoc on a pace-friendly Chinnaswamy track.
They would look to carry on the momentum on Friday also though the Sardar Patel track may not give them much assistance.
The visitors' batting, however, has been a cause of concern for them with openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad struggling to provide a platform during their run chase at Bangalore.
Even the reliable Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi failed to get big scores.
Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were the saving grace and Pakistan would hope that they continue with their exploits along with the others striking form.
The defeats have come at home, where the team is playing in familiar conditions, and Dhoni has a tough task in lifting the morale of the team.
Teams from
India: MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Parvinder Awana.
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (capt.), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmad Shahzad, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanveer, Umar Gul, Asad Ali, Zulfiqar Baber.
Match facts
Friday December 28, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 17:00 local (11:30 GMT, 1630 Pak)
