India eyes on capturing ODI series, eyes will be on Rahul and Jadeja
When the Indian team takes on Australia in the second ODI on Sunday, all eyes will once again be on Lokesh Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, with regular skipper Rohit Sharma also returning to lead the side after missing the first match in Mumbai. India defeated Australia by five wickets in a low-scoring match at the Wankhede Stadium in which Rahul played a restrained inning of 75 not out. He struggled to find form during the Border-Gavaskar series, being dropped for the third and fourth Tests.
Jadeja, also playing ODI cricket after nearly eight months due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, scored an unbeaten 45 on Friday. He also bowled tightly and took two wickets for 46 runs, which made him the ‘Player of the Match’. India is hosting the ODI World Cup this year and an in-form Rahul and a fully fit Jadeja will be crucial for the team. This three-match series will help the selectors to assess the progress of these two.
On the other hand, the Indian team would like to get an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series by winning this match and would also like to improve the batting as at one stage the team lost four wickets for 39 runs and later the score was reduced to 83 for five wickets. After which Rahul and Jadeja combined to win the hosts with 61 balls to spare. The return of skipper Rohit Sharma will surely bolster the top-order, which crumbled before the pace and ‘variation’ of Australian pacer Mitchell Starc.
Ishan Kishan was dismissed for three runs by Marcus Stoinis. Then Stark took three wickets, due to which India came under a lot of pressure. Virat Kohli (04), Suryakumar Yadav (zero) and Shubman Gill (20) had returned to the pavilion early. The Indian batsman has occasionally looked in trouble against Australia’s left-arm pacers and facing Starc in the remaining two matches will provide him with good practice in home conditions as the focus shifts to the World Cup in October-November. Will be engaged in doing. Rohit will open the innings which will make way for Kishan to take over as the regular captain.
Kohli and Gill’s low scores in the first ODI are not much to worry about but Suryakumar Yadav not finding his rhythm in the 50-over format could be a cause for concern. Suryakumar, famous for his explosive batting in T20 Internationals, has still not earned the same fame in ODIs. He has not been able to score a half-century in all the five ODIs this year. With no deadline set for Shreyas Iyer’s return, India will continue with Suryakumar for the number four spot.
India’s bowlers put up a stellar show in Mumbai with pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj bowling brilliantly on a pace-friendly pitch. But wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav could not impress. However, the team management is not expected to tinker with the bowling line-up with Hardik Pandya playing the role of the third pacer. The weather forecast for the second ODI is rain with thunderstorms which means that the fast bowlers of both the teams can swing the ball.
Australia will also look to try different combinations during the series. On Friday, they went in with four all-rounders – Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell. Due to this, they could not trouble India much, which would be a matter of concern for captain Steve Smith. Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Lokesh Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Akshar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa. The match will start at 1.30 pm.
