
Virat Kohli is all set to reclaim his No. 3 spot as India gear up to launch a strong comeback against Australia in the second one-day international at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot on Friday.
The hosts were handed a 10-wicket spanking in the series opener that came on the back of brilliant centuries by David Warner and Aaron Finch.
Kohli’s No. 4 experiment, in a bid to accommodate all the three openers Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul backfired majorly as the Indian captain added just 16. Opener Dhawan later said he was ready to bat at number three if asked to by the team management, but since Kohli has been successful at that position, the skipper would be more than willing to walk in one-down.
Kohli batting at three also provides stability to the middle-order. With a concussed Rishabh Pant out of the second game, Rahul is a certainty as he will keep wickets.
So, like in the last game, Rohit and Dhawan, who made a dogged 74 off 91 balls in Wankhede, could open, and there could be a toss-up between Rahul and young Shreyas Iyer at number four. Iyer had a rare failure on Tuesday.
Pant’s absence could pave the way for the inclusion of Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey, who made optimum use of the opportunity that he got in the third T20 against Sri Lanka in Pune.
On the other hand, Australia will be high on confidence, and will be aiming to seal the series with another easy win. Captain Finch and Warner will once again hope to produce match-winning performances.
Here are details of how you can follow LIVE action of the 2nd ODI between India and Australia
What: India vs Australia 2020, 2nd ODI
When: January 17
Where: Saurashtra Cricket Association, Rajkot
Time: 1.30 pm
Weather: Sunny skies with a maximum high of 24 degrees Celsius
On TV: Star Sports Network
LIVE Streaming: Hotstar
You can also follow LIVE action of the match on India.com
My Dream11 Team
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey
Batsmen David Warner (VC), Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer
All-Rounders Ashton Agar, Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc
IND vs AUS SQUADS:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul(w), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Shivam Dube
Australia Squad: David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner, Alex Carey(w), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Handscomb, D Arcy Short