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Team India will take on England in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Maharastra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, March 26.
After winning the first game by 66 runs and taking a 1-0 lead in the series, the hosts will be confident. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya all shined with the willow in the series opener. India will hope to see Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya taking on the English attack as well.
On the other hand, England would be hoping to bounce back as this is a do-or-die contest for them. The major concern for the visitors is their middle-order not clicking at all. This trend started in the T20I series and continued in the first ODI as well.
Both teams have injury concerns heading into the second fixture. The tourists might miss the services of skipper Eoin Morgan and batsman Sam Billings. Morgan had split the webbing in his right hand, while Billings had a sprained collarbone.
When it comes to India, their middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out from the series due to a shoulder injury. The home team will also look at whether Rohit is completely fit for the second ODI. The Mumbaikar had suffered a blow on his right elbow while batting in the opening game.
Pitch report:
The pitch at the MCA stadium tends to assist pacers and a good track for batting. In the previous fixture, it favoured the batsmen, and fans may expect another high-scoring game.
Head to Head record:
Matches played: 101 | India Won: 54 | England Won: 42 | Tied: 2 | No result: 3
Playing Combination:
Suryakumar Yadav is most likely to replace the injured Iyer. Similarly, if Rohit stays unfit for the second game, Shubman Gill can swap him to open the innings with Dhawan.
The bowling had been tremendous for the home team. The only concern for them is Kuldeep Yadav, who did not bowl up to the desired expectations. If Team India doesn’t give him another opportunity, then Yuzvendra Chahal will make his return in the playing XI.
IND XI: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma/Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna.
England
With both Morgan and Billings suffered injuries in the first game, England might make a couple of changes to their playing XI. Dawid Malan is likely to replace Morgan, while Liam Livingstone could come in place of Billings.
ENG XI: Jos Buttler (c, wk), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan/ Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Sam Billings/ Liam Livingstone.
