India vs Scotland T20 World Cup 2021: India out to win big

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli bats during the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, UAE, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

It is a rare sight seeing India play Scotland. The ‘Men in Blue’ have played Scotland only twice in the history of the game and both of those matches came back in 2007. The first was an ODI game during India’s tour of England and the second was their first game in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, which was washed out after the toss. This fixture will be the first proper T20 international between these two sides.

TEAM NEWS & PROBABLE XI

Hardik Pandya did have a few niggles while batting but he bowled a couple of overs and also fielded well when India were bowling. As such, his fitness won’t be a concern. Meanwhile, India might ponder about getting another spinner into the mix. If they decide to add an additional spinner, Rahul Chahar might replace Shardul Thakur given that Varun Chakravarthy has a niggle.

India Likely XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Josh Davey missed the last game against New Zealand due to a niggle. He might come into the side if he is fully fit and is likely to replace Alasdair Evans. The rest of the playing XI is likely to remain the same.

Scotland Likely XI: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans/Josh Davey, Bradley Wheal

THE TALK AROUND THE TEAM

After suffering two huge defeats, India bounced back in style to keep themselves alive in this competition. The Virat Kohli-led side pummelled Afghanistan by 66 runs. They first smashed 210/2 with the bat before a clinical performance from the bowlers helped them earn a comfortable victory. The 66-run win has seen India’s net run rate go into the positive. It could’ve been better if it weren't for some late big hitting from Mohammad Nabi and Karim Janat.

India will be looking to continue in the same vein as they go in search of another big win. The equation for them is still the same. They need to win both their remaining games by huge margins and also hope that either Afghanistan or Namibia beat New Zealand and with that, India can go ahead on net run rate.

On the other hand, Scotland will take heart from the way they played against New Zealand. They applied pressure with the ball for a large part of the innings before they lost the plot at the death. With the bat, they threatened to chase 173 down but fell 16 runs short. While Scotland’s bowlers have fared well, the batting has been the one that has disappointed and they will need to up their game once again as they look to put up another good fight.

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

KL Rahul: KL Rahul finally got going in this ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The Karnataka lad has been batting superbly and had piled up 626 runs from 13 innings in the 2021 edition of the IPL. He couldn’t really take off in the first two games of the T20 World Cup, but he made merry against Afghanistan as he smashed a fluent 69. His partnership alongside Rohit Sharma helped India set up a solid platform upfront to go berserk at the death. Rahul will once again be the key at the top of the order for India.

Mark Watt: Mark Watt has bowled beautifully throughout this tournament. The Scotland left-arm spinner has been supremely consistent and he has not given anything away. He has played six matches and has completed his quota in every, conceding runs at less than a run-a-ball in every game. Watt has also picked up one wicket in each of these six games.