IND vs ENG 2022: 3 reasons why India will win the 2nd ODI
India will take on England in the second ODI of the three-match series at Lord's on Thursday (July 14). The Men in Blue, fresh from a dominating 10-wicket victory in the first game at Kennington Oval on July 12, will look to seal the series at the 'Home of Cricket'.
Asked to bat first in the series opener, England were blown apart by the Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah. The right-arm seamer ran through the hosts' batting order, registering career-best figures of 6-19 in 7.2 overs. Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna shared the other four wickets between them to bowl England out for just 110 in 25.2 overs.
In reply, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan stitched together an unbeaten 114-run partnership to take the visitors home in just 18.4 overs. Rohit was at his destructive best, scoring 76* off 58 balls to help India land the first blow in the series.
On that note, let's look at three reasons why the Men in Blue will also win the second ODI.
#1 The form of the Indian openers
The first ODI saw the return of Shikhar Dhawan in Team India colors. Once considered a mainstay in the playing XI, the left-hander has had to fight for his place in the squad in recent times.
He looked good at Kennington Oval, playing a supporting role to Rohit. The southpaw scored a steady 31 off 54 balls, hitting four boundaries in the process.
The Indian skipper, meanwhile, was his usual self, taking the England bowlers apart. He hit seven fours and five sixes en route to his 76* off 58 balls.
Given the form displayed by both openers in the first game, a similar showing is expected when they come out to bat at Lord's.
#2 Lethal pace attack
A large part of the win in the first ODI against England belongs to the Men in Blue's pacers.
The pace trio of Bumrah, Shami and Krishna had the English batting line-up dancing to their tunes.
Bumrah started the proceedings, dismissing Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in his first spell. Bairstow and Root have been in great form in recent times, and scored centuries against the visitors during the Edgbaston Test. However, they had no answers to Bumrah's bowling and perished without troubling the scorers much.
Shami, on the other hand, picked up three wickets, including Stokes and Butler. Krishna, who played as the third seamer, also looked dangerous and took a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Moeen Ali.
Another spirited performance from the bowlers at Lord's would undoubtedly shift the momentum in favor of the visitors.
#3 A strong middle order
While India's heavy reliance on the top order has often come back to haunt them, it arguably won't be the case at Lord's. The Men in Blue have a strong middle order comprising Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
With Virat Kohli ruled out of the game due to an injury, Suryakumar will have the opportunity to make a case for himself at No. 3. The Mumbai batter recently played a jaw-dropping knock of 117 off just 55 balls in the third T20I against England.
The swashbuckler hit 14 fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 212.73 to nearly carry his team over the line.
Pant and Jadeja, meanwhile, have been proven performers for India in recent times. Both are adept at taking the attack to the opposition and will help maintain momentum in case of a batting collapse.