Virat Kohli & Co need their top-order to shine in must-win match v Oz
As Team India left the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) after the first ODI on Friday, the groundstaff had already started working on the pitch for today's second ODI. The first thing the players would have taken note of is the short boundary on one side of the ground.
The small dimensions on one side mean India need to be a lot smarter with their strategy with both ball and bat. The lack of bowling options in the Top 6 means India will need to tinker with a bowling unit that conceded 374 runs two days ago. Pacer Navdeep Saini and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could come under the scanner after their poor performances in the opening match. There is a strong chance that T Natarajan will replace Mohammed Shami or Saini. The weather will also play a vital role with temperatures expected to touch 43C by late afternoon. The short boundaries, a hot day and a short turnaround mean the team will be hoping Virat Kohli can win the toss and bat on another placid SCG pitch.
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It was a disappointing first outing for Kohli, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. They were guilty of playing poor shots and need to be slightly composed now. Despite losing by 66 runs, there will be a sense of confidence in India's batting given the way Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan rebuilt the innings.
India need their top-order to stand up in a must-win match and all the focus will be on Kohli. The Indian captain has not been able to add to his 43 centuries in the last 10 innings and will be hoping to break that drought in front of 20,000 Indian fans at the SCG.
On the other side of the coin, the Australians are likely to be without the in-from Marcus Stoinis. The all-rounder suffered a minor side strain on Friday and could potentially miss the ODI series completely. Luckily for Australia, they have plenty of options with young sensation Cameron Green fighting for spot in the XI against veteran Moises Henriques. Mitchell Starc had an off day on Friday, but expect the leader of the Australian pace attack to bounce back strongly. However, rather than the quicks, it will be the way the Indian batsmen tackle leg-spinner Adam Zampa that will dictate the outcome of the match.
Also Read: IND vs AUS: Protesters invade field in major security breach
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