A confident India will look to continue their winning momentum and seal the three-match series when they take on England in the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday.
Team India on Tuesday achieved the rare feat of being the first team to beat England in their own backyard by 10 wickets, thanks to a superb six-wicket haul from Jasprit Bumrah and an ubeaten 76 from skipper Rohit Sharma.
Bumrah To Lead India’s Pace Attack
The Indian pacer tore through the English batting line-up, registering career best figures of 6-19 to help India thump the hosts by 10 wickets at the Oval. Bumrah looked in sensation form and will be keen to add more to his wicket tally when his side enters the field at Lord’s.
So has been the case with the ever-dependent Mohammed Shami. The experienced pacer offered Bumrah good support in the early overs and finished with impressive figures of 3/31 to skittle out England for a mere 110 runs in the first ODI.
Kohli Still Doubtful
Meanwhile, there have been no updates regarding Virat Kohli’s injury. The star Indian batter had sat out the series opener due to a mild groin strain amidst an overflow of criticisms regarding his poor form.
Kohli’s form across formats has deteriorated in recent years and he looked like a shadow of his former self in the T20I series against England earlier this month. The 33-year-old managed just 12 runs from the two T20I matches he played in the three-match series.
With batters such as Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Iyer eagerly waiting in the wings, Indian captain Rohit Sharma will now have a job in hand to find a suitable replacement for Kohli if the latter is deemed unfit for the second ODI.
Skipper Rohit Back to Form
Captain Rohit, on the other hand, looked to have found his form back and was in fine touch in the first ODI. Rohit alongside long-term partner Shikhar Dhawan (31 not out) guided India home, successfully chasing the target, without losing any wickets.
India would be hopeful that their experienced openers deliver the goods and offer them stability at the top when they face England once again. India are most likely to field the same playing XI as in the first ODI for the second game, having found a winning combination.
England Have Some Thinking to Do
Hosts England, meanwhile, will be keen to forget the loss in the first ODI and regroup when they meet India next. The English side were strengthened by the return of their three stalwarts – Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Stokes. However, the three fell prey to some exceptional bowling from Bumrah in the first ODI and could not offer much.
Captain Jos Buttler and the team management will most probably stick with the same side as they want to play in a certain way – an attacking brand of cricket left by former England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan under whom they enjoyed tremendous success, including a 2019 World Cup win.
In fact, England were on a four-game winning streak until India put the brakes on them at the Oval. Nevertheless, England will have some thinking to do in terms of tactics, both in batting and bowling, as they look to get back into the series.
Teams
England (Probable XI): Jos Buttler (c/wk), Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Craig Overton, Brydon Carse, Reece Topley.
India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.
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