India vs England 2021: Ideal Playing 11 for Team India for 2nd ODI – 3 Major Replacements
3 major replacements expected as we look at the ideal playing 11 for Team India for the 2nd ODI vs England.
After 3 successive occasions of losing the first match of the series, Team India finally managed to break the jinx as they defeated England by a solid 66 runs in the first ODI match. Courtesy of this dominant win, Team India now lead 1-0 in the small 3-match ODI series.
It wasn’t a complete dominant performance from Team India as England literally toiled the Indian bowling in the first 15 odd overs while Chasing 318. The England openers gave an opening stand of 135 runs in just 14 overs. But, the debutant, Prasidh broke the shackles by taking an all-important wicket of Jason Roy. This broke the momentum as India kept taking regular wickets to keep the pressure on, and in the end, bowled out England under 43 overs for 251.
However, not all is well for Team India as 2 of their first-choice players, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer sustained serious injuries on the eve of the first ODI. While Iyer is confirmed to miss the remainder of the ODI series and the first half of IPL, Rohit Sharma’s availability will be decided on the day of the match.
So, looking at the backups and performance in the first ODI, here’s how the ideal playing 11 for Team India looks for 2nd ODI vs England. Before that, let’s quickly skim through the squad for Team India for the ODI series.
India vs England 2021: Team India’s Official ODI Squad:
Batsmen: KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav & Virat Kohli (C)
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya & Washington Sundar
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan & Yuzvendra Chahal
2nd ODI Ideal Playing 11 – Team India
Openers: Shikhar Dhawan & Suryakumar Yadav
After getting dropped from the T20I squad after just 1 bad performance, Shikhar Dhawan returned with a bang. He may not have had the desired success in the T20Is, but in ODIs, Dhawan is a different monster. He showed his worth by smashing a solid 98 (106). Even though he missed on a well deserved century, it deserves all the applause.
Meanwhile, Shikhar’s partner, Rohit Sharma didn’t have a good day with the bat, and was also injured during fielding. The extend of his injury is not known, but it is to be believed that Rohit Sharma might miss the second ODI. It makes sense too as risking him for not-so-important ODI series would be a gaffe. It can impact his IPL, and subsequently World Cup 2021 and WTC participation.
But, who takes Rohit’s place in the playing XI. Team India’s backup opener is Shubman Gill, and he should come in as Rohit’s replacement. But, the problem with Gill is his approach. He isn’t as aggressive as someone like Surya, and his slow starts can be problematic against a team like England. Hence, Surya, who is in tremendous form can play as an opener to bridge this gap.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli (C), Rishabh Pant & KL Rahul (WK)
The absence of Shreyas Iyer means one of Suryakumar Yadav or Rishabh Pant takes his place in the middle-order. While Ideally, Surya should be the first choice player to replace Iyer, if Surya is played as an opener then Pant could be the go-to man for Virat Kohli for the number 4 slot. He can also keep with KL Rahul back to the opening duties.
Even though it is not ideal in current circumstances, KL Rahul as the opener isn’t a bad option either. If KL is played as an opener, which he naturally is, it gives the team to play both; Pant and SKY in the middle-order together, which could also be a great thing to do.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya & Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya couldn’t have asked for a better start to his ODI career. He smashed the fastest half-century by a debutant in ODIs off just 30 balls, which is just stunning. His bowling was also decent as he concluded with a spell of 1/59 in 10 overs. Him along with Hardik should once again lead the all-rounder duties for Team India.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal & Prasidh Krishna
All three pacers were on the point and money in the first ODI. Starting with Prasidh, he smashed a record by becoming the first Indian player to take a 4-fer on debut. It wasn’t an easy setup for him as he was literally smashed to corners in the first 4 overs. But, thanks to his persistence, Prasidh came back stronger to take 4 important wickets.
Shardul Thakur was once again among the wickets. It was routine as usual for Shardul as he proved to be the wicket-taking bowler India needed. He took 3 crucial wickets to end with a spell of 3-37. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar led the bowling attack to perfection in his tight spell of 2-30.
On the other hand, Kuldeep looked completely out of sorts in the first ODI. The rhythm and confidence were missing, and it reflected in his performance, which read 0-68 in 9 overs. It won’t be a surprise if Chahal replaces Kuldeep in the ODI Squad. It won’t be a bad choice either given Kudeep’s lack of confidence and variations in the bowling.
India vs England 2021 – Ideal Playing 11 for Team India for 2nd ODI:
Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli (C), Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna & Yuzvendra Chahal.
So, that completes the ideal playing 11 for Team India for the 2nd ODI vs England. While Iyer is for sure going to be replaced, Rohit shouldn’t be risked, and Kuldeep can make way for Chahal in the 2nd ODI.
Thanks for reading! What’s your preferred playing 11 for India vs England 2nd ODI? Please, email your comments to business@cricalytics.com
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Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
