India have got a headache. Of a good kind, though. But it’s still a headache. Who do they leave out from the side that defeated England with four wickets to spare a couple of days ago? Although the first question should be ‘Why do they need to leave anyone out?’. The simple answer is; to accommodate Virat Kohli, who missed the first ODI with an injured knee. He is all fit and firing now, but is he firing enough to replace Shubman Gill, who thrashed 87 runs in the opening ODI? Or Shreyas Iyer, whose fierce batting helped India wrap the game up without any hiccups?
Perhaps India could leave out Yashasvi Jaiswal, who debuted in the last game, and get Gill to open with Rohit Sharma so that Kohli can bat at his usual No. 3 position. But that has its downsides too. For one, Gautam Gambhir is a fan of left-right combinations. In Jaiswal, he finds a perfect southpaw, who only needs a little carving here and there.
England have a headache too. But neither is it just one headache nor does it contain any goodness in it. They need to find a way to get back at India in this game, lest they will lose the ODI series as well.
Team Overview:
Harry Brook’s form in this series is concerning for England. With Champions Trophy coming up and set to be played in the same region, they can not afford playing without one of their main men misfiring. Jacob Bethell stood out in the last game, something Jos Buttler would find solace in. There is some issue lying within the English bowling lineup too. At one point, they had India two down for just 19 runs but failed spectacularly to cash on the opportunity and let Iyer and Gill run away with the game. Indian spin trio took 5 wickets on Nagpur’s spin-friendly track. England, on the other hand, had only one frontline spinner to begin with, something which could haunt them over the next few weeks. They could get Mark Wood to come in for either Brydon Carse or Saqib Mahmood in the second game.
Besides the selection headache, India do not have much to worry about. Their batters did a decent job. Although Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal might raise some concerns, it would be harsh to judge him based off just one game. India could test their bench strength by giving game time to players like Rishabh Pant and Arshdeep Singh. Kohli’s comeback to his favourite format was delayed due to his injury, but he should be able to put his batting on display in this one.
Head-to-Head Record:
England and India have played 108 ODI matches against each other. Out of these games, India have won 59 games while England got the better of them in 44. 5 games ended without any of the two results.
Weather and Pitch Report:
India is a country teeming with cricket stadiums, so much that they can afford going without using a venue for half a decade and still have plenty of options to choose from. Cuttack last hosted an international game in 2022 and an ODI in 2019. The boundaries here are short and outfield lightning quick, which makes high-scoring games almost ordinary here. For teams batting second, dew factor will chip in too.
Where to Watch:
India: Hotstar
England: TNT Sports, Discovery+ App
Pakistan: Tapmad
Australia: Kayo Sports, Fox cricket
South Africa: SuperSport Grandstand
