Captain Rohit Sharma’s dip in form across formats and Virat Kohli’s return from a knee injury will be in the spotlight as India, after taking a 1-0 lead in the Orange City, will seek to win the second ODI and seal the three-match series against England in Cuttack on Sunday.
The host will be keen to see the two stalwarts shine again as they did at the Barabati Stadium in the past, ahead of the fast-approaching Champions Trophy.
Kohli, who also went through a lean phase in red ball competitions is fit to take the field. However, it will be interesting to see whom he replaces, especially after Shreyas Iyer’s excellent performance in the first ODI.
India urgently needs to decide its pace combination for the ICC event. As Jasprit Bumrah’s return is still in doubt and Mohammed Shami’s search for his old magic continues, debutant Harshit Rana’s resilient three-wicket haul in the successful series opener acted like a soothing balm for the host.
ALSO READ: IND vs ENG, 2nd ODI Pitch Report- Cuttack ground conditions; stats, records, toss factor at Barabati Stadium
While Hardik Pandya provides the much-needed balance, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who last played an ODI in August, is waiting for some game time.
Fine performances by Shubman Gill, Shreyas and Axar Patel with the bat and the effectiveness of the Indian spin trio, Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja (even as T20I series hero Varun Chakravarthy is waiting to prove himself), pleased the home think-tank as much as it thrilled the spectators in Nagpur.
Here, too, fans’ enthusiasm knows no bounds – evident from the sleepless night they spent buying tickets and filled the stands in large numbers for the Indian team’s practice on match eve – as international cricket returns to the 67-year-old venue, still awaiting modernisation, after nearly three years and an ODI after five years.
Instead of travelling to Cuttack for match-eve nets, England chose to take a break and play golf in Bhubaneswar. The visitors must adapt to the traditionally high-scoring venue quickly.
While contributions of openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett, skipper Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell indicated a good beginning in Nagpur, the below-par showing of Joe Root and Harry Brooke was disappointing.
ALSO READ: Warner backs Australia for Champions Trophy success despite injury problems
The visitor will look to overcome India’s spin challenge in the middle overs and expect its own tweakers, including the crafty Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and Bethell, to be impactful.
With pace ace Jofra Archer in good form, England will hope its other speedsters like Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carsen to be more productive.
With the series on the line, England will push to take it to the decider.
The teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ꮪhubman Gill (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K.L. Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
Match starts at 1:30 pm.