Jubilant India will now look forward to seal the series when they face England at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Thursday. India’s successful run-chase of 350 runs gave them enough confidence to defeat the visitors and win the series 2-0. Thanks to captain Virat Kohli’s presence in the team that no target is too big for team India.
India vs England 2017
Amongst the youngsters, people will keep their fingers crossed for Jadhav expecting him to play something similar that he did in Pune ODI a few days back. Batting second or chasing down the target will be on India’s mind because the Kohli-led India is currently the only team that successfully chased down 350 plus target in ODIs thrice.
English captain Morgan hinted that his priority is to keep Kohli off-strike while dismissing the other batsmen from the striker’s end. But defeating India at Cuttack won’t be easy. India have won 11 out their 15 ODI matches.
It would be also interesting to know who will open the innings for India. After Shikhar Dhawan’s dismal performance in Pune – there is a possibility of Ajinkya Rahane’s entry into side. He played well at a warm-up match against England a few days back. Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma may also get an opportunity to feature in this match.
Team news for India and England
India’s bowling is the main concern. In the last match at Pune, Indian bowlers didn’t bowl well and easily allowed England to score 350 runs. Hope, bowlers like Ashwin and Jadeja will produce some magnificent bowling spells to restrict England at a nominal total. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to feature in Cuttack ODI replacing Umesh Yadav. Yuvraj Singh will also try to play a big knock tomorrow. It’s due for a long-long time.
From the English side, the good news is the sublime bowling form of Chris Woakes and David Willey. They are the ones who can give early breakthrough to visitors irrespective of the pitches. However, the expensive Adil Rashid who gave away 50-run from 5-over in the last ODI might be dropped from tomorrow’s match.
Dew factor will be crucial in this match. Head curator opined that from the evening time dew will start falling making it easier for the team batting second to score runs. The team bowling second will really have some tough time to contain runs. Weather will be around 30 degrees with clear sky. Live streaming of the match will be offered on Starsports and ESPN.
Probable XI for both teams
India: Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (Captain), Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (Wicket Keeper), Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (Capt), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, David Willey, Jake Ball.
Tags: 2nd ODI, Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, England, Eoin Morgan, India, Virat Kohli
