Australia vs India, 2nd ODI – India Predicted XI

Team India was overhauled by Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series. Both the batting as well as the bowling didn’t click for the visitors and they lost the match by 34 runs. The limited-overs specialists, who joined the side looked rusty as most of them haven’t played any cricket in a while. The Australians were quite successful in tying the no.2 ODI down and thus have got off to a good start in the series.

Leaving the scars behind, the Indians will now shift their attention to the second game of the series. It is important for them to rethink the strategies and execute plans better. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the death over bowling issues have surfaced yet again as 93 runs were conceded in the last 10 overs in the first ODI. Moreover, the middle-order was completely exposed and failed to do the job.

If it was not for the century from Rohit Sharma, the team was sure to have bagged a massive embarrassment. The management is sure to look at all the options available and might make some changes in the line-up.

Here is the Predicted XI for India for the 2nd ODI:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma)

It is a certainty that Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will be the first-choice opening pair heading into the World Cup 2019. Hence, it is important to give them the maximum games to prepare for the tournament. Shikhar was unfortunate to have missed out in the first game of the series. The left-hander, who walked back without troubling the scorers, will be keen on making an impact in the upcoming game.

Rohit registered his fifth century in Australia in the series opener. Four out of these came against the Aussies and all of them ended in a losing cause. He’d be hopeful of changing things around in the upcoming game and will want to contribute in the team’s victory.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik)

It took 482 days for the oppositions to dismiss Virat Kohli for a single-digit score. He was rather unfortunate to have missed out on scoring and will want to rectify the mistakes in the next game. The Indian skipper’s contribution with the bat will be critical for the team. There have also been talks about MS Dhoni batting at number four. But, that seems unlikely and Ambati Rayudu will continue at that position.

Dhoni, who didn’t hit a half-century in 2018, started off with one in 2019. But, that came at a rather slow rate even though the intent was there. The wicketkeeper-batsman will be working on rotating the strike more often in Adelaide. Dinesh Karthik is highly likely to get another go ahead of Kedar Jadhav. With Dhoni not being the kind of hitter that he was, the onus of finishing the game will be on DK.

All Rounders (Ravindra Jadeja)

Jadeja and Vijay Shankar are the two options available for the role of an all-rounder. It seems highly likely that Jadeja will hold onto his spot. The management might not take a chance with Vijay as he will be joining the side just before the second ODI and will not have much preparation time. Jadeja picked up one wicket and scored 8 runs in the first ODI.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj)

Bhuvneshwar looked extremely rusty in the first match of the series. The pacer hasn’t played much cricket of late and needs to spend a lot of time in the middle before he is back at his best. Mohammed Shami will be sharing the pace responsibilities with Bhuvi. Although Shami went wicketless in the previous game, he bowled quite economically.

There is one change expected in the bowling department though. Khaleel Ahmed, who failed to do well, could be replaced by the in-form Mohammad Siraj. Siraj replaced Bumrah in the side and had good outings in the last few domestic games that he played. Kuldeep Yadav will be the other spinner in the side. Although there might be a temptation to play Yuzvendra Chahal, three spinners in the XI doesn’t seem to be a great choice and hence the leggie will have to further warm the bench.

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