Two changes India should make for the 2nd T20I at Rajkot

India lost their first T20I against Bangladesh in a quite convincing manner. The visitors outperformed the hosts in all the three departments as they secure their maiden T20I win against the Men in Blue after eight unsuccessful attempts. 

Now the focus shifts to Rajkot for the second T20I, which is scheduled to take place on November 7. Both the teams will have different objectives going into the second game. While India look to keep the series alive, Bangladesh will aim to secure their first ever T20I series win over India. However, it won't be a walk in the park for the Bangla Tigers as the hosts are going to make a strong comeback at the SCA Stadium, Rajkot. 

In the first T20I, India flopped in all the three departments, including a few on-field decisions, which turned out to be very decisive in the context of the game. With series on the line, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma would want to plug-in all the loopholes and go in with a line-up that could help his team level the series on Thursday. 

The Indian opener might opt to make a couple of changes in the line-up and consider roping in a few fresh faces from the bench. Let's take a look at two players who might included in the squad for the next T20I:

Sanju Samson replacing Rishabh Pant

Despite a decent outing for Rishabh Pant in Delhi, India might consider dropping him for Sanju Samson, who was included in the Indian side after nearly five years. Pant, who batted for 26 balls to score 27 runs for the team, looked iffy of his shot selection in the middle. 

The Indian keeper-batsman didn't play his natural game and looked to defend rather than his natural instinct to attack the ball. He wasn't at his best even behind the stumps after he failed to judge a crucial DRS call and misjudged one, which even costed India their only review. 

With Samson coming into the side from of a really successful Vijay Hazare Trophy spell with Kerala, it might be the right time to see what he brings to the table. In such a high-pressure game, it will be appropriate to throw the youngster in deep waters and see, if he can swim his way through or drowns due to the burden.

Shardul Thakur replacing Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed witnessed an off day at the work as he conceded 37 runs in what was a relatively low scoring affair in Delhi. Skipper trusted him to deliver the penultimate over with the opposition requiring 22 off the final two over. The left arm pacer, however, was taken to the cleaners as he was smashed for 4 fours by Mushfiqur Rahim to seal the game for Bangladesh. 

For the second T20I, the team management might think over dropping Khaleel and playing Shardul Thakur. The Mumbaikar is making a return to the Indian side after his injury last year in the Tests against West Indies. Thakur with his extra pace and the ability to even swing at a decent speed, might be a better choice for the next game.