Australian cricket team will look to level the five-match series 1-1 at the Eden Gardens.
Australian cricketer Marcus Stonis (L) celebrates after the dismissal of India's Kedar Jadav (R) (Photo: AFP)
Following a defeat in the first ODI, the visiting Australian cricket team will look to level the five-match series 1-1 when they take on hosts India in the second ODI at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.
Although the dark clouds are threatening to play spoilsport at the Eden Gardens, fans will surely get an electrifying experience if it happens to be a healthy-ODI affair.
Ahead of the day-night tie, starting 1:30pm on Thursday, here is a list of factors to watch out for.
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Former India captain and wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni has transformed into a great shape in recent times. Once an aggressive hitter, Dhoni is now the backbone of the Indian team.
The 36-year-old batsman from Ranchi is the strength of the men-in-blue at middle-order. In his last 10 international matches, Dhoni has scored 298 runs that includes inspiring knocks such as 54 against West Indies, 45*, 67* and 49* against Sri Lanka and 79 against Australia.
Dhoni’s 79 off 88 balls was the match-winning knock for India as he propelled them to victory by 26 runs via Duckworth Lewis Method in Chennai.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya was another substantial hitter in the last match as he smashed 83 runs and put a 118-run partnership stand with Dhoni for the sixth-wicket after top-order failure.
The 23-year-old Gujarati lad, with his nature of play, is a fearless cricketer who hits the ball mercilessly. Despite being a new entrant, he has posted a strong impression and booked his place for a long time in the national squad.
In the recently-concluded Sri Lanka series, Pandya scored 197 runs runs with his Test-best knock of 108 runs. Be it Tests or T20I, the right-hander plays to his aggressive standards.
Vice captain Rohit Sharma made a remarkable return in the Sri Lanka series and will now look to continue the momentum in the ongoing Australia series.
Having played all five ODI matches in the series on the Island, Rohit made 302 runs, including two century knocks of 104 and 124*.
India will hope for a strong start from the batsmen at top-order. Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli will also look to return among runs after shortcomings in Chennai.
Stupendous in the recent past, Kohli has 1017 runs in his kitty from 19 innings with four tons and six half-tons in ODIs this year.
Spinner Adam Zampa-led Australian bowling attack will be daunting in the second ODI as the visitors desperately seek an equaliser win.
“We have enough variation in our attack but it’s about executing your plans,” the 25-year-old leg-spinner said in the pre-match conference on Tuesday.
Talking about the Indian pitches, the Shellharbour spinner added: “In Australia you can mess up your length a little bit and you will probably get away with it purely because of the (size of ground). Here the length is very important.”
Besides Zampa, Australian bowling attack comprises of pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis, who were successful in assault in the last ODI.
It is also a challenging time for Australian captain Steve Smith, who needs to lead from the front. He was dismissed for one run in Chennai.
Opener David Warner, who managed to make 25 runs at Chepauk, also must fire to set the foundation. Hilton Cartwright, the hitter at the other end, was also sent back to pavilion early.
Travis Head, who scored a promising 65-run knock in Australia’s 103-run win in the warm-up tie against Board President’s XI, should open Australian innings at Eden Gardens.
India Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami
Australia Squad: Steve Smith (C), David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Wade (WK), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch
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