After whitewashing Sri Lanka across formats, it was time for India to continue their dominating performance against a much fancier opposition, Australia, and they did it with some style in the opening ODI at Chepauk by winning it by 26 runs in a rain-curtailed match. It was an exceptional performance especially after struggling at one stage.
Batting first India was reduced to 11/3 and then 87/5, but the magic of Hardik Pandya and the experience of MS Dhoni did wonders for the team, as India staged a dramatic comeback and posted 281/7 at the end of their allotted 50 overs. It is a huge plus for India to see Dhoni back in form and as mentioned by Ravi Shastri, he remains an integral part of the limited-overs set-up, and the form he has shown in the recent past, we can expect him to be ready for the 2019 World Cup.
Australia, on the other hand, would be disappointed at losing the match hands down especially after putting India under some pressure. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled a brilliant opening spell, and Marcus Stoinis bowled well in the middle overs to peg the hosts back. The match was tilted in favour of Australia after it got reduced to a 21 overs affair, but they couldn’t quite take the opportunity and eventually lost the game. The batting department has to pull up their socks and start performing.
Team News
India
The home team might be tempted to field the local boy Mohammad Shami who wasn’t part of the opening ODI. Kolkata has been overcast for the past few days so the inclusion of a pacer might be a sensible option in place of Kuldeep Yadav. He went for a few runs, as Glenn Maxwell went hammers and tongs.
Shami who has proved his mettle time and again might be back for the match. The rest of the team is expected to remain the same.
For yet another time, all-rounder Hardik Pandya who play a crucial role especially if there is a top-order failure again. The opening combination has been fragile with Shikhar Dhawan out. Ajinkya Rahane might be given another chance, but if he fails again at the top of the order, KL Rahul might well get the nod in the 3rd ODI.
Australia
Adam Zampa who went for a plenty of runs might face the axe for the 2nd ODI in place of Kane Richardson. Ashton Agar might also force his way back into the team at the expense of James Faulkner.
The team looked a settled unit, but given some big names in the Indian squad, it will be a pretty difficult task for them to make a comeback in the series.
Teams:
Australia (From): David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Steven Smith(c), Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade(w), James Faulkner, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch, Kane Richardson, Peter Handscomb, Ashton Agar
India (From): Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli(c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Lokesh Rahul
Prediction
Given India’s sensational run in the limited overs format, there is no doubt about the fact they will definitely start as the favourites for the 2nd ODI. With rain expected to play a spoilsport, the team batting 2nd might just end up winning the game.