England vs India, 2nd ODI: Match preview and predicted XIs of both the teams
The ODI series got off to a great start for India as a dominant performance both in the batting and bowling department saw them thrash England, winning the match by 8 wickets in a comfortable chase. The bowling attack for India in the last match was depleted without the presence of spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and the pace attack will likely be bolstered in the next match with Bhuvneshwar coming in for Siddarth Kaul.
England were dismal with both bat and ball in the first match, unable to put up a closely fought contest as was expected going into the game. They are, however, unlikely to tinker with the lineup, particularly in the batting department considering that it was rare off day for the team since they were all firing in the recently concluded ODI series against the Australians. Considering that Trent Bridge is historically a stadium that favoured the batsmen, it is hard to criticise their bowling performance since they did not have a big score to defend but they will need to find a way to pick up the wicket of Rohit Sharma in particular, who has now scored 2 100s on the trot.
The 2nd ODI will be played in the home of cricket – the Lord’s cricket ground in London. Chasing teams have won more at Lord’s, with 55.9% of games won belonging to the team batting second, and with the willingness of both teams to chase and the series on the line, it will be yet another crucial toss. Lord’s hasn’t been kind to England recently, with them only having a 37.5% win rate in their last 12 games. The last game they played here was a day to forget as they collapsed for 153 against South Africa who chased it with ease.
The last ODI between India and England in Lord’s was an exciting affair, ending in a tie as per the D/L method. Will we see another one of those nail-biting encounters tomorrow or will it be one sided like the first ODI?
With the series on the line for England and the focus now gone from the concurrent FIFA World Cup, there is all to play for and they will be looking to level the series. The Indians will be confident in their chances after a clinical performance in the first ODI and will be looking to replicate or even better that performance.
Keep reading for the predicted XIs for India and England.
Indian Predicted XI:
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit Sharma had a fantastic game in the 1st ODI, scoring his 2nd unbeaten 100 on the trot. Shikhar Dhawan also did well, finding the boundary 8 times in 27 balls during his 40. Both the openers seemed in good touch in the first ODI and it makes sense that they will open in the next match as well.
#3 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli too played a good hand in the chase, scoring 75 at close to a run-a-ball but will be kicking himself for not going on to convert that into a 100 and staying until the end of the chase as he often does. That being said, Kohli seems in good nick and will be looking to carry on his form into the next game.