India captain Virat Kohli could be tempted to retain the same playing XI that defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs on Wednesday when they take on Scotland in another Super 12 game of the ongoing 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai on Friday. After losing to Pakistan and New Zealand in their opening two games, India bounced back with a comfortable win over Afghanistan. However, the team’s semifinal hopes hinge on results in other games. India would need New Zealand to lose one of their remaining games in order to have any hope of making it to the semis.

Here is the XI that we think might play against Scotland:

Rohit Sharma:The veteran opener returned to form with a commendable fifty against Afghanistan and will look to build on that knock.

KL Rahul: KL Rahul also hit a half-century against Afghanistan and will look to give India another bright start again.

Suryakumar Yadav:He didn’t get a chance to bat against Afghanistan but is likely to retain his place in the team.

Virat Kohli: Having scored a fifty against Pakistan, Kohli will again look to post a big score on Friday.

Rishabh Pant: The wicketkeeper-batter played a confidence-boosting knock against Pakistan and finished well against Afghanistan. He is an important big-hitting option.

Hardik Pandya:A key finisher in the batting line-up and now back bowling after recovering from injury, Hardik is a key part of the team.

Ravindra Jadeja: His big-hitting ability with the bat and his top-notch fielding are key credentials to have alongside his ability with the ball.

Shardul Thakur: In a good run of form this year, Shardul can provide his team breakthroughs with the ball and can also chip in occasionally with the bat.

Ravichandran Ashwin:The veteran spinner was excellent against Afghanistan on his return to limited-overs international cricket as he picked two wickets in an economical spell. He will look to continue with another good performance.

Promoted

Mohammad Shami:The pacer returned to form against Afghanistan with three scalps and will be eyeing more wickets against Scotland.

Jasprit Bumrah: Bumrah is a key part of the Indian set-up and will hope to bag a few wickets against Scotland.