Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first against Australia in the second ODI.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma (Photo: AFP)
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first against Australia in the second ODI at the Edens Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.
“Looks a nice and hard wicket, doesn’t have a lot of moisture in it. Tends to do a lot more in the night than the day and we have two wrist-spinners too,” Kohli said after winning the toss.
Introducing no changes in the playing XI that routed the Aussies in the first ODI at Chennai, Kohli added: “There was a lot of talk in last few months about the top order but middle and lower order have done the job for us in the last few games. Last game gave us confidence as a side and lifted us.”
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India currently lead the five-match ODI series by 1-0 and will look to keep the momentum intact in Kolkata.
Australian skipper Steve Smith, who is playing his 100th ODI, said: “It took me seven years to get there. I am excited to play my 100th ODI at Eden. We would have batted first too. Hopefully, we can bowl well early and put the pressure on.”
Australia made two changes in the playing XI as Kane Richardson came in place of James Faulkner, and Ashton Agar replaced leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (C), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Australia Playing XI: David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Steven Smith (C), Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (WK), Ashton Agar, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile
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