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With Virat Kohli likely to make his return, India could take a choice to drop either the in-form Shreyas Iyer or Yashasvi Jaiswal who just made his ODI debut.
Virat Kohli (M) could come in place for Yashasvi Jaiswal (L) or Shreyas Iyer (R). (Image: Sportzpics)
India will look to seal the series as they take on England in the second ODI being held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. The Men in Blue will have to balance between being able to experiment with their playing combinations and also preparing themselves with the Champions Trophy that’s coming up as well.
Virat Kohli, who missed out the first ODI could be back in the mix as he hopes to make a statement on his return. But the question that remains is, who would have to be benched? The likely options that could see themselves benched is either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shreyas Iyer. The former had only made his ODI debut and it could be a harsh call to drop the youngster before making his mark. The latter is coming off a blistering fifty and the team could look to take advantage of his form once again.
As far as the bowling attack is concerned, the team have a settled unit and it’s just a matter of Mohammed Shami finding his form and intent. Harshit Rana as well will look to follow up on his resilient performance with another one. After a horrendous start to his ODI career, he managed to back himself up with three wickets in the process.
Rishabh Pant’s chances of coming back into the mix seem unlikely as Axar Patel showcased a wonderful batting performance where he played spin well to score a fine half-century. But should India go the experimental route, he could come in for KL Rahul and come in at number four, but this seems unlikely as they would not want to disturb a successful batting unit that had a tremendous campaign during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The second ODI’s ideal scenario would see both Rohit and Kohli come in with stellar performances to put their concerns regarding form to bed. Both men have been under the scanner and it remains to be seen if the senior duo can rediscover their best form
India’s Likely Playing XI For 2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
- Location :
Cuttack, India, India
