A 66-run loss is not the kind of start India would have hoped for on its return to international cricket. In addition to their hitting showing some spark, the Indian bowls had no teeth and their performance was abysmal. Furthermore, the fact that one of the strongest pacing attacks in the world has been carried out over 374 races highlights many alarming problems for Virat Kohli. There is no sixth bowler, and even if India does play one, it comes at the expense of dropping a batsman, which is something Kohli is unlikely to do.
That said, with the series on the line, India is expected to hone in on certain aspects. Start with the strongest suite, which is your hitting right now. The way KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer came out, they would kick themselves. With more than 650 and 400 races respectively in the IPL, India would expect better from them. Of course, there’s Kohli, who looked like a million dollars save for the top edge that survived the hasty pull that led to his firing. The biggest advantage is Hardik Pandya’s coming of age as a hitter. Pandya’s tickets were consumed by every player in the locker room and not a single Indian cricketer moved until the moment he returned.
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Then there is the gardener, who needs to adjust. The retro jersey brought out a rather retro outfield performance from India, with missed catches and misses on the field. With a bit of improvement there, Kohli’s men are likely to do better. When it comes to bowling, India would expect a better show from its five front-line players, as the sixth bowler option is nil for now.
Having drawn the first blood, Australia has the advantage over India and is heading to the second ODI. With another expected flat platform and a limited swing on offer, his hitting threat looms over India once again. They were ruthless and robust, especially hitting, and based on what the world saw on Friday, they have much more depth in their squad, and much less in the XI, than their Indian counterparts. They were defeated 1-2 last time. Now is Aaron Finch’s chance to even the odds and dish out a fifth straight ODI loss to ODI’s No. 2 team in the world.
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What: India vs Australia, 2nd ODI
When: Sunday, November 29, 2020
Venue of events: Sydney cricket ground
Time: 9:10 a. M. IST
Team news
India
India is likely to give Navdeep Saini time to heal his back spasms and deliver T Natarajan his international debut. Natarajan is expected to be preferred over Shardul Thakur given his impressive form in the IPL and the fact that he gives India the option to lock his left arm. The rest of the lineup should remain unchanged.
Probable XI: Probable XI: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Jasprit bumrah
Australia
Like India, Australia is also grappling with an injury issue. Marcus Stoinis is a dubious starter for the second ODI after suffering lateral strain in the first game. In this case, Chris Green is a likely candidate to receive his first international cap. However, Moisés Henriques also appears to be a similar replacement.
Probable XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (captain), 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steve Smith, 5 Chris Green / Moises Henriques, 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam Zampa
Statistics and trivia
– India has lost its last four ODI
– India has won only five of the 21 ODI in the SCG
– Virat Kohli needs 69 races to complete 2000 ODI races against Australia and 112 to complete 12000 races in the format
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