The India cricket team has started their ICC Champions Trophy preparations really well. All-round brilliance was on display in Nagpur, which resulted in the Men in Blue taking a 1-0 lead in the India vs. England ODI series. The tour now shifts to Cuttack, and while Team India can seal the series, it’s more important to nail the right XI before the 8-team tournament starts on February 8.
Virat Kohli in, Shreyas Iyer/Yashasvi Jaiswal out?
Team India was sans Virat Kohli in Nagpur, and he’ll come right back in. For whom? That will be a major point of discussion. Shreyas Iyer was supposed to be left out from the side, and had Kohli’s right knee been fine, he would have warmed the bench. He’s one of the two candidates who might sit out, as the former Indian captain will return to his number three spot.
The other batter who might be dropped is Yashasvi Jaiswal. He made his debut in Nagpur, getting picked over Shreyas. But the scale may have tipped in the senior Mumbai batter’s favour. His blistering half-century blew the game open for Team India, and because of his knock, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel chased down the 249-run target with ease.
Another reason for leaving Jaiswal out is that he only opens the innings. For that, you already have captain Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Gill. Both have exceptional records and can’t be dropped for Jaiswal. As for Shreyas, he can bat anywhere from number three to seven, and of course, he can prove himself as well on the biggest of stages.
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Arshdeep Singh replaces Harshit Rana
The other change Team India would make for the India vs. England 2nd ODI will be to drop Harshit Rana. Just like Jaiswal, the pacer made his debut in Nagpur. He actually performed really well. After being hit out of the park by Phil Salt, he came back nicely and got three scalps. But he’ll have to miss out.
The reason for benching Harshit isn’t his performance but the need to play Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm hasn’t played an ODI since August last year, and although he did play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, you need to see where he stands given that he might have to play as a front-line pacer in the ICC Champions Trophy with question marks over Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. Even Mohammed Shami isn’t 100% guaranteed despite playing a bit of cricket since November last year.
India’s Predicted XI for 2nd England ODI
Rohit Sharma (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Bench: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
