WATCH: Team India sweats it out ahead of the second ODI against West Indies
Team India players are sweating it out in the nets ahead of their all-important clash against West Indies in the second ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side played their milestone 1000th ODI last time out.
They proved too good for Kieron Pollard's men in the series opener at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Opting to bowl first, the hosts restricted the visitors to just 176 runs with Yuzvendra Chahal emerging as the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 4/49. During that spell, Chahal became the second fastest Indian spinner and the fifth fastest Indian bowler overall to take 100 ODI wickets.
Chasing 177 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the Men in Blue got off to a spectacular start. Openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan put on 84 runs for the first wicket. Despite losing four wickets in quick succession, Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Deepak Hooda made sure the team chased down the target without losing any further wickets.
India chased down the target of 177 runs in just 28 overs, thereby winning the first game of the series convincingly by six wickets. They will be looking to carry that winning momentum onto the next fixture as well, so that they can clinch the series before heading into the third and final game.
KL Rahul most likely to make the playing XI for India in the second ODI
KL Rahul, who led the Indian side during the three-match ODI series against South Africa last month, did not feature in the first ODI against the West Indies. The 29-year-old missed the opening game as he had to attend his sister's wedding.
Now that Rahul is seen practicing hard in the nets, the Lucknow Supergiants skipper is most likely to make the cut on Wednesday for the second ODI. Here is the BCCI tweet about the Indian players' preparations ahead of the next fixture in Ahmedabad:
Preparations 🔛
#TeamIndia gearing up for the 2nd @Paytm #INDvWI ODI 💪 https://t.co/p3Y2uTS5fA
KL Rahul's return might make coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma ponder more about the changes to the batting order. It's going to be interesting to see who will make way for Rahul's inclusion and how the line-up will look in the upcoming fixture.