IND v AUS, 2nd ODI Preview: Grass and rain await both teams in Kolkata

Australia have won just two ODIs in their last completed 8 games in India. Their loss in Chennai was their third loss on the bounce playing in India and Steven Smith would want to arrest the slide in Kolkata. The Australian skipper will be appearing in his 100th ODI game and would love to produce a memorable performance, weather permitting.

India’s practice session was called off due to the incessant rains on Tuesday and the forecast doesn’t look great for the second ODI. Kohli’s men are in great form, winning 7 games on the trot. The advent of Hardik Pandya has further boosted the balance of their side. Dhoni’s second wind in international cricket has only strengthened their middle order which is a little thin on experience.

Australia were uncomfortable against the twin wrist spinners of India – Chahal and Kuldeep. They lost five wickets collectively to 9 overs of spin in a rain-reduced chase in Chennai. Smith and Warner, two of Australia’s best spinners against spin, will have to step up and respond to the challenge. The Australian skipper made a bold statement that their side is not just focusing on wrist spin ahead of the Eden Gardens encounter.

Focus will be on

Ajinkya Rahane

The Rahane conundrum has given India a lot of headaches in the last three years. The right-hander was used as a middle-order batsman during Dhoni’s tenure as captain. He lost his place in the ODI side for a brief while and is now looked at as a reserve opener. In Dhawan’s absence, Rahane has to make this opportunity count. He has had two consecutive failures after being prolific in the West Indies series in July. Despite his good showing, India ignored the 29-year old when Rohit Sharma came back into the XI. The Mumbaikar knows that his time is running around and will be keen to make a big score in this game.

James Faulkner

Faulkner averages 131 with the bat in ODIs played in India. He has serious ability to handle the bat and looked decent during his unbeaten 32 in the last game. The all-rounder has a bag of tricks up his sleeves and his style of bowling suits the sub-continental conditions, though he went for a few runs at the end of the innings in the first game when Dhoni got stuck into him. Faulkner is expected to make a big impact in this series, especially in the absence of Hazlewood and Starc. He has a lot of experience of playing in India due to his IPL exploits which will be handy for the Tasmanian.

Playing Combinations

India

Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli will form the top order for the Indians and will look to put their failures in Chennai behind them. The Australian new ball bowlers bowled beautifully and rattled the Indians before the likes of Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, and Hardik Pandya, who will bat at No. 5,6 and 7 again, came to India’s rescue. Manish Pandey will be tested again at the much-talked No. 4 spot. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are gelling well as new ball bowling partners and will again lead the attack. The rest two spots will go to the spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

Australia

Cartwright struggled on his debut but is expected to open the innings again with the powerful David Warner. Steve Smith, Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell will take care of the middle order and would want to make telling contributions after the failures in Chennai. Stoinis, Wade, and Faulkner offer the Australian side power in the late middle order. After getting a bit of stick in the opening game, Adam Zampa will be Australia’s lone spinner. Because of the grass on the Eden gardens wicket, the fast bowling duo of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins will again be critical for Australia with the new ball.

Predicted XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (C), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia: Hilton Cartwright, David Warner, Steve Smith (C), Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mathew Wade (WK), James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa.

Stat Attack

100 – Steve Smith will be playing his 100th ODI for Australia.

300 – MS Dhoni will be appearing for his 300th ODI for India. He has played 3 games for Asia XI.

4 – Wickets required by James Faulkner to complete 100 ODI wickets.

22 – runs required by Virat Kohli to go Yuvraj Singh’s tally of 8609 runs in ODI cricket. Kohli will become the 6th highest scorer for India in ODIs.