India vs Australia, Match Preview, Prediction
India is trailing the ODI series 1-0. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

At the historic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India had a poor game against Australia. Early on, it was a reality check for Virat Kohli-led India to begin their ODI campaign on a high. The record-partnership of David Warner and Aaron Finch helped Australia to register their first-ever 10-wicket ODI victory over India. The visitors had got a lead of 1-0in the three-match ODI series. Now, the second ODI will be crucial for India to make a comeback in the game.

Date: 17/01/2019

Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot

“Kul-Cha” Partnership needs to be back at its best:

Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Although India has set a decent target of 255 against Australia, but at the same time, the bowlers for Men in Blue could not halt the visitors.

Furthermore, the yorker king Jasprit Bumrah and pacer Mohammed Shami was unable to give a breakthrough to the Indian team. On the other hand, Shardul Thakur was taken to the cleaners by Warner.

At one time, it looked Kuldeep Yadav might take the wicket but he had also gone wicketless. The spinner Ravindra Jadeja also could not break the partnership of Warner and Finch. The skipper Kohli needs to bring back the duo (Kul-Cha) in the team. Both the spinners have always been effective together. So, to make a strong comeback the team management needs to play Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in the final XI.

Australia on the winning horse:

Credits: Twitter

After badly defeating the opposition in the home season, Australia has impressively beaten India in India in the first game. Warner and inch’s determination was visible at Wankhede. The duo went on to set the highest-ever partnership against India in ODIs. The duo shared 258 unbeaten runs stand.

Talking about the Aussie bowling department, Pat Cummins broke the partnership between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan. The Indian team got unstable when Kohli lost the wicket on the ball of leg-pinner Adam Zampa. Mitchell Starc picked three wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Shardul Thakur respectively.

In the series opener, Australian bowlers wrapped India’s innings at 255. Thus, the visitors have currently the strong bowling department to dictate the terms in the cricketing arena.

Head to Head:

Team Total Won Loss No result/Tied
Australia 138 78 50 10/0
India 138 50 78 10/0

Weather Forecast

The second ODI will face no interference of rain in the game, leading to the smooth running of the thriller match against India and Australia. While due will surely play its part.

Credit: AccuWeather.

Pitch Condition:

Rajkot will host the second game.

The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium assists the batters to score big totals. Particularly, it will be a bit easier for the team batting second.

India’s Predictable XI:

Players Role
Rohit Sharma Opening Batsman
Shikhar Dhawan Opening Batsman
Virat Kohli (c) Batsman
KL Rahul Wk/Batsman
Shreyas Iyer Batsman
Kedar Jadhav batsman
Shardul Thakur Bowler
Yuzvendra Chahal Bowler
Mohammed Shami Bowler
Jasprit Bumrah Bowler
Kuldeep Yadav Bowler

Australia’s Predicted XI:

 

Players Role
David Warner Opening Batsman
Aaron Finch Opening Batsman
Marnus Labuschagne Batsman
Steve Smith Batsman
Ashton Turner Allrounder
Alex Carey Wk-Batsman
Ashton Agar Allrounder
Mitchell Starc Bowler
Adam Zampa Bowler
Pat Cummins Bowler
Kane Richardson Bowler

Match Prediction:

Australia have more chances to win the game, seeing their bowling line-up. It will be harder for India to win the game if toss favours Australia at Rajkot. As we know, India is a good unit in chasing down the targets, so winning the toss for India is important to be well in the game.

Where To Watch:

TV – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD

Online– Hotstar

Time– 1:30 PM IST