After defeating Sri Lanka 2-0 in the first tournament of the year, team India entered the Wankhede Stadium to face Australia with high levels of confidence. However, everything was short-lived as Australian openers, David Warner and Aaron Finch alone led their team to victory, decimating the Indian-bowling attack.
India was handed-over a terrific defeat in the first match of the 5-game ODI series which have hurt the hosts big time. They shall be looking forward to entering the 2nd ODI in Rajkot with a better strategy and gameplay. There are certain changes that the Men in Blue might consider doing in the upcoming game to level the series at 1-1. The major changes that we might see in during the Rajkot play can be listed down as:
Virat Back at No. 3 and Kl Rahul at No. 4
Virat Kohli started off the first game of the series playing at number 4 instead of his usual batting position of number 3. Well, this was done to make space for both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul as Rohit Sharma made his way back to the squad after being rested for the Sri Lanka series.
However, the decision didn’t seem to get well along with the fans who were disappointed with the decision. The number 4 is a much-debated position for it plays a crucial role in deciding the team’s score and position in the further game. The decision of playing at number 4 sort of backfired and thus, we believe in the upcoming game, Virat shall be back at usual No.3 position with KL Rahul at number 4 followed by Shreyas Iyer at Number 5.
Chahal in place of Jadeja
The game will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association in Rajkot. The pitch here is definitely batsmen friendly which will definitely set the field on fire in the next game. However, the pitch has a thing for wrist-spinners too, as Kuldeep Yadav achieved a 5-wicket haul against West Indies at this very stadium on April 2018.
With this, we expect that Virat Kohli might call Yuzvendra Chahal to the squad in place of Ravindra Jadeja to help Kuldeep Yadav in picking up wickets easily. Wrist-spinners can be a success at the field, and thus, the same can be adopted in by team India as a part of their gameplay.
Shivam Dube in Playing XI
Apart from suffering a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of the visitors, team India suffered another big blow in the form of Rishabh Pant. The player suffered concussion after he was hit on the head in during the last game at Wankhede and therefore, will not be travelling with the team to Rajkot. KL Rahul might act as a full-time wicket-keeper as well in the upcoming game.
The absence of Pant has made a place for another player to be accumulated in the team and we might see Shivam Dube entering the game as a part of the playing squad. The all-rounder can contribute both with the bat and ball to the team and can play a crucial role for the Men in Blue in their upcoming game against the Aussies.
