England vs India 2018: 2nd ODI, 4 Key Players
The first ODI got off to an unexpectedly dominant start for India as they were in full control of the game after the first wicket fell for the English after a strong start in the powerplay. The collapse that followed thanks to Kuldeep Yadav's heroics led to a below-par score of 268 that the Indians chased with ease, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s rapid unbeaten century and Virat Kohli’s calm 75.
Going into the 2nd ODI, these following players will be under the microscope due to their excellent recent performances or because they’re due a big one. The English will be looking to tackle the spin threat differently compared to how they handled it in the first match, and by preserving wickets against spin they can save the assault for the pace attack of India, which was expensive in the first match.
The Indians will be eager to continue their excellent run since they landed in England and with the series on the line in the 2nd ODI and both teams having everything to play for, tensions will be running high on the field and an electric crowd atmosphere is expected.
#1: Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav had a fantastic game in the first ODI, completely foxing the English batsmen who had no idea how to play him. However, the last time that this happened as it did in the 1st T20I, the English were able to bounce back rather effectively.
They looked to play him out and that approach helped them win the 2nd T20I as Kuldeep did not pick up a wicket and went for a fair few runs. After the masterclass in the first ODI, England will be wary of Kuldeep and will have spent hours and hours looking through footage to help them pick his variations from his hand and not the pitch like they have been doing thus far.
Kuldeep has claimed that video analysis is a big mistake, raising questions over its effectiveness, so it will be an exciting contest for sure to see who will prevail.