The home side India will face the visitors Australia in the second ODI of the three-match series at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium (Rajkot) on Friday (17th January).
The hosts are trailing this ODI series by 1-0 after suffering a destructive defeat in the opening game of this series at Mumbai on last Tuesday (14th January). While India managed to score 255 runs (49.1 overs) in the first innings of that match, Australian openers chased down the target in 37.4 overs without damaging their wickets (258/0).
Here is the predicted XI for India for the upcoming Rajkot ODI.
Rohit Sharma
The last year’s most ODI run-scorer, Rohit Sharma has a forgetful start in the new calendar year as the right-handed opening batsman scored only ten runs in the Mumbai ODI. As the second-ranked ODI batsman now hardly remains out of form for a long time, the Australian bowlers can expect a tougher challenge from Rohit in the second ODI of this series.
Shikhar Dhawan
In the last two-three international matches, Shikhar Dhawan batted impressively which has brought a big relief to the Indian fans and a good hectic to the team management. While most of the other batsmen failed in the last game, Dhawan scored 74 runs. The left-handed senior opening batsman is returning to his old form, and the team wants another top performance from him in this upcoming crucial ODI.
Virat Kohli (C)
Indian captain Virat Kohli scored 16 runs in the last ODI after deciding to bat at no.4. Many have opposed this decision because the no.1-ranked ODI batsman generally bats at no.3 position at present. While Kohli will re-think about his batting position, he hardly remains in off form for a long time.
KL Rahul (wk)
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul is most likely to handle the wicketkeeping role in the Rajkot ODI, just like the Mumbai ODI. Earlier, in that Mumbai ODI, he scored crucial 47 runs and put the 121 runs partnership with Dhawan for the second wicket. The right-handed batsman is currently in very good form as a top-order batsman, so, the team management has to rethink before deciding to drop down his batting order.
Shreyas Iyer
It is the real test for the youngster Shreyas Iyer who scored four runs in the last two limited-overs international matches. He has to handle the top Australian bowling line-up properly, and the youngster has an additional pressure to fit in this team while the team management has a headache to set up the in-form top-order batting line-up.
Manish Pandey
After the impressive domestic season, Manish Pandey recently featured in the Pune T20I against Sri Lanka. When the team was struggling in the Pune T20I, Pandey played an impressive knock of 31 not out off 18 balls (4 fours), and India ultimately won that game easily. As Rishabh Pant is unavailable for the Rajkot ODI, Pandey can be the best choice for the middle-order batting against the mighty Aussie bowlers.
Ravindra Jadeja
In the last ODI, when the Indian middle-order batting was struggling, Ravindra Jadeja put the 49 runs partnership with Rishabh Pant for the sixth wicket. The left-handed batsman scored 25 runs off 32 balls in the crucial stage but failed to carry on that knock to the big score. In the second innings, he was the most economical bowler (8-0-41-0) for India, but like the other bowlers, he also failed to pick up a wicket.
Mohammed Shami
It was an off-day for the Indian bowlers during the Mumbai ODI and the right-arm pacer Mohammed Shami was no different. He had the bowling figures of 7.4-0-58-0. However, the experienced bowler knows how to make a comeback from this situation.
Navdeep Saini
The right-arm fast-bowler Navdeep Saini can replace the other pacer Shardul Thakur, who was an expensive bowler (5-0-43-0) in the last ODI at Mumbai. Saini has impressed in his initial outings in the international career. However, he has played only one ODI, and the present opposition side is mighty Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah
The no.1-ranked ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah has just returned to the game after recovering from the injury. Expectedly, he is taking time to return to his old form, but he needs to deliver a good performance in the forthcoming crucial ODI at Rajkot.
Kuldeep Yadav
The left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav was the only Indian bowler in the last Mumbai ODI who delivered the full 10-over quota. However, he also failed to pick up a wicket as he had the bowling figures of 10-0-55-0. He has to find his old form very soon as his place is currently not secure anymore.