IND v ENG, 2nd ODI Preview: Resurgent Team India eyes series win

As we head into the 2nd ODI between India and England at Cuttack, the England team management will look for fresh ideas and try to implement them on the field if they want to stage a comeback in the 3 match ODI series. The English bowlers have been slaughtered all over the ground by the star-studded Indian batting line-up as they have failed to come to terms with the Indian condition. Despite the scores of 537, 400 and 477 in the Test series, the Brits failed to compete against the Men In blue and ended up losing the 5 match series 4-0.

While chasing a mammoth 351 in the first ODI, India had been reduced to 63/4 and courtesy brilliant centuries from Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav India bounced back strongly from the precarious situation and completed a sensational victory by 4 wickets and with 11 balls to spare. England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan is bound to be a worried man going into the 2nd encounter as his bowlers failed miserably in the opening match despite providing a terrific start.

This will also mark the return of international cricket in Cuttack after the infamous bottle throwing incident in 2015 when South Africa had toured India for a T20I series. The outrage of the crowd was mainly because India was dismissed for a paltry 93. Former legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar had also demanded the stadium getting abolished from hosting international matches but the BCCI was kind enough to give them another chance.

According to the pitch curator of Cuttack, the match is expected to be a run fest but dew will likely play a major part in the outcome of the game which makes the coin toss that more important. Despite the matches being scheduled an hour earlier than the usual, the curator was unsure whether the move was enough to make the match an even contest.

Toss: England opted to bowl first

Team News

India

Despite winning the 1st ODI, Kohli will be worried about the bowlers and the top order. Ravichandran Ashwin after a terrific Test series looked totally off colour in Pune and conceded 0/63 in his 8 overs. India’s best death bowler Jasprit Bumrah also had a horrendous outing in Pune as he finished with expensive figures of 2/78 in 10 overs. Kohli can gain heart from the fact that Hardik Pandya was impressive and even Ravindra Jadeja bowled pretty accurately especially on a pitch which didn’t have anything to offer the bowlers.

India will replace Umesh Yadav with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 2nd encounter as Bhuvi will be an important member of the side in the upcoming Champions Trophy in English conditions. He was exceptional in the 2013 edition which was held in England and was won by the Blue. Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, might get another chance to prove his credentials before the team management goes with Ajinkya Rahane.

Virat Kohli(Quotes from the toss): It is something that is not in control. Just a flick of the coin. It is important to execute our skills. We are batting first and would look to put some big runs on the board. In the last game, we won the toss, conceded 350 and were 60 odd four. But then we did well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in for Umesh and the rest of the side is the same.

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

England

The Brits will be looking to come back strongly after a heartbreaking loss in the opening encounter. Eoin Morgan won’t be too much concerned with the performance of the batsmen as they had a good outing in the opening ODI. Despite scoring a mammoth 350, the bowlers couldn’t defend the total despite reducing them to 63/4 in the 11th over. With the likes of Virat Kohli in the opposition rank, Morgan has resigned to the fact that whatever they score in the first innings, the Men in Blue has the capability to chase it down.

Opener Jason Roy has been scoring runs at a brisk pace and Morgan will rely upon him to again lay a solid foundation for the visitors. Ben Stokes late onslaught in the 1st ODI propelled them to 350 and Morgan will be hoping for more of the same in the 2nd ODI. Jake Ball was impressive in the 1st ODI but went for plenty. Adil Rashid on the other hand who has been England’s most reliable bowler off late went for 50. In his 5 overs which will definitely be a concern for the visitors.

Eoin Morgan (Quotes from the toss): It looks a very good wicket. It looks similar to the wicket at Pune. The frame of the mind is good. Given the dimensions of Pune, we were a few runs short. Plunkett comes in place for Rashid.

England (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball, David Willey

Stats and trivia

1. India has a 5-2 win-loss record in Cuttack. Their last defeat in this ground came against the Kiwis in 2003.

2. Ravindra Jadeja requires two more wickets to become the first Indian left-arm spinner to scalp more than 150 ODI wickets.

3. If India manages to win in Cuttack this will be their 5th straight series victory against the Englishmen at home. England has lost 20 of the last 24 ODIs played in India.

4. MS Dhoni needs 3 more sixes to complete 200 sixes in ODIs

5. Virat Kohli is 28 runs short of completing 1000 runs as a captain of the ODI team