IND vs AUS 2017, 2nd ODI: Indian Predicted XI
Jan 9, 2019 at 4:00 PM
Having beaten Australia quite convincingly in the first ODI in Chennai, the Men in Blue have indeed set the tone for the rest of the series. An impressive effort with the ball made it up for the stutter made by the top order with the bat.
Hardik Pandya is coming to the party as an all-rounder was extremely pleasing, as India lacked a match winner like him for a long time now. Credit must be given to the old horse, MS Dhoni, for supporting Pandya throughout and then himself took the responsibility of finishing the innings.
At the Eden Gardens, India will be upbeat to go 2-0 up against Australia, and it will be imperative to get the best XI for that. Below, we have a look at the predicted Indian XI for the second ODI.
1. Ajinkya Rahane:
Rahane’s run in the ODI team as of now hangs with a thin red line. The replacement of Shikhar Dhawan has dished out two single-digit scores now, and pressure is mounting on him to perform. With KL Rahul already warming the benches, another failure could be fatal for Rahane.
2. Rohit Sharma:
Known for his opulence in excess against Australia, a side against which he already averages above 60 in ODI’s, Rohit would want to roar back in style after the failure in Chennai. He returns to his favourite venue now, the very ground where he scored that epic 264 against Sri Lanka.
If he gets in, even on a half decent deck could see him play another blinder in front of a packed stadium.
3. Virat Kohli (c):
A duck in the last match was surely not what the Indian run machine would have liked, given his stupendous run in ODI’s, of late. Already the number one ranked batsman in the world, Kohli will be eager to play a real big knock to compensate for his duck in the first game.
Against a side that has always been on the receiving end of his willow, Kohli would well fancy his chances.
4. Manish Pandey:
Like Kohli, Pandey too was dismissed for a duck in the first game, as he nicked one off Coulter Nile. With that number four slot being intensely contested for, Pandey would want to make up for the failure in the previous game with a big score. He returns to his IPL home ground, and with that, is his best chance of putting up a big score.
5. MS Dhoni ( wk ):
Fresh from a typical Dhoni knock at his adopted hometown, the former skipper must be high on confidence. Dhoni slowly but steadily is regaining his good old form and finishing prowess. If that is any news to go by, the Aussie bowlers better are wary of the great man. Kolkata has been a happy hunting ground for Dhoni, and another decent finish is expected out of him.
6. Kedar Jadhav:
The first ODI was a beautiful opportunity for Jadhav to showcase his class as a middle-order batsman. Playing a decent knock, he did his chances no harm, and his knock of 40 was vital in resurrecting India’s chase.
However, he now will be eager to play a bigger beat and increase his appetite for a big score.
7. Hardik Pandya:
The Man of the Match in the first ODI, Pandya was simply superb in all aspects. Be it his ferocious batting or his tight bowling which strangled the Australians, Pandya’s evolution as a genuine match-winner has been among the most positive for Indian cricket, of late. One can expect another good performance from the all-rounder.
8. Ravindra Jadeja:
This could well turn out to be the turning point of Jadeja’s career, as he is in the team as replacement of the Axar Patel. If Jadeja can here put up a fine show, it will be nothing less than an absolute fairy tale. The competition in the spin department remains extremely high, and Jadeja will have to make his chances count. On a deck that has some bounce for spinners, this is a fine opportunity for the all-rounder to leave a long-lasting impression.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
Kumar is slowly working on his skills as a batsman, and that has been an excellent development. Nevertheless, his primary task remains to pick up early wickets and contain the opposing top-order.
With the ball, Kumar did well in the first game and considering the competition in the pace department; he needs to continue the good work.
10. Yuzvendra Chahal:
Chahal ably justified his selection in the first ODI by picking up three crucial wickets for his team. His duel against Maxwell made for an excellent show indeed, as he wasn’t afraid to toss the oddball up against the hitter.
Ultimately, he got the better of him by flighting the ball, and this aspect of not getting bogged down makes him an absolute champion.
11. Jasprit Bumrah:
Bumrah is a class act for the side in all areas of the innings. His improvement with the new ball has been just superb and to add to that, his ability to hit the blockhole in the death makes for a beast of a pacer.