The second ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia will be played on Sunday (March 19) in Visakhapatnam. It is a quick turnaround from the first game played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hosts won the encounter by five wickets and it wasn't an easy surface to bat on. The Indian bowlers put on a collective performance to skittle Australia for just 188 runs. While Mohammed Shami and Siraj picked up three wickets each, it was Ravindra Jadeja who turned the game on its head. Mitchell Marsh was the star for Australia scoring 81 runs off just 65 deliveries.
The second ODI will see Rohit Sharma returning to lead for India. He will replace Ishan Kishan in the playing XI while it remains to be seen if David Warner will be fit enough to take the field. Warner might replace Labuschagne in that case and open the innings for the touring side. Apart from this, both teams are unlikely to make any changes. Australia must win this match to stay alive in the series and they will be taking inspiration from their 2019 heroics. The team was 0-2 down in the five-match ODI series and Australia won the last three matches to seal the series.
Match Details
Match: IND vs AUS, 2nd ODI
Venue: ACA VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Time: 1:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Probable Playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Australia: David Warner/Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Steve Smith (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (WK), Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc
Pitch and Weather Report
Generally, teams opt to bat first on the pitch in Visakhapatnam as the ball starts turning more as the match progresses. However, with some rain around, new ball might swing testing the batters upfront.
Meanwhile, the weather forecast in the city is not promising at all with rain predicted on the match day. While there will be cloud cover throughout the day, a shower is expected at 5 PM IST which might play spoilsport in the game.
Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill looked good during his stay in the middle in the first ODI. He scored 20 runs before throwing his wicket away. However, the youngster will be looking to make amends and post a good score to help India seal the series.
Best Bowler of the Match: Kuldeep Yadav
The pitch at the venue is known to help spinners significantly and hence, Kuldeep Yadav's tricky variations will come into focus in the match. Not many Aussie batters are comfortable facing spin bowling when the ball is turning and this is when Kuldeep will come handy. Expect the wrist spinner to shine in the second ODI.
