Adelaide, After a disappointing start to the three-match ODI rubber against Australia in Sydney, India will look to bounce back in the second match at the Adelaide Oval here on Tuesday to stay alive in the series.
The Men-in-Blue lost the first contest at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) by 34 runs and the world no.2 side will be looking to regain dominance in the second match.
In the do-or-die affair, India will rely heavily on the top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Virat Kohli once again, as none of the lower and middle order batsmen, barring former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, clicked in Sydney.
While Rohit fired an impressive 133, Dhoni supported the opener with a 51-run knock. However, the latter’s innings came off 96 deliveries which left too many runs to chase in the final overs.
Dhoni failed to set the pace in the slog overs in Sydney and it will be a major cause of concern for the team management.
Also, Dhawan will need to step up to provide solid support to the in-form Rohit and give India a good start.
With time running out ahead of the 2019 World Cup, the middle order duo of Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik also need to click with the bat.
India will also be tempted to field Kedar Jadhav in place of Rayudu, who was on Saturday reported for suspect bowling action. Jadhav’s inclusion will not only bolster the middle order batting but his part-time round-arm off spin has helped in breaking partnerships.
All-rounder Vijay Shankar, who was named as a replacement for the suspended Hardik Pandya, may also be included in place of off-colour Karthik.
The bowling unit was satisfactory in Sydney and Kohli isn’t expected to tinker with the combination much on Tuesday.
However, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja may be dropped from the Playing XI after failing to impress in both the departments and in that case, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will be included.
On the other hand, after losing the Test series 1-2, Australia will aim to seal the ODI series in Adelaide.
The Kangaroos, however, didn’t announce their playing eleven for the second ODI, and are expected that to go in with the same team as in the first match.
The hosts will bank on another collective effort from the top order comprising Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh while also hoping for skipper Aaron Finch to come out of a recent slump in form.
The relatively inexperienced bowling unit comprising Jhye Richardson and Jason Behrendorff impressed in the first ODI with the pace duo sharing six wickets between them while veteran Peter Siddle and off-spinner Nathan Lyon will be expected to support the rookies.
Teams:
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Vijay Shankar.
Australia: Aron Finch (Captain), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (WK), Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa.
