Press Trust of India
Brisbane, Jan 14: Stung by the defeat in the series opener despite putting up a big score, India will have to plug their bowling loopholes when they take on Australia in the second ODI of the five-match series here Friday at the Gabba, fully aware that any slip-up will make their task of bouncing back difficult.
Chasing an imposing 310, Australia romped home with ease by registering a comfortable five-wicket win Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series at Perth.
And at the Gabba, the visitors would be hoping to make life difficult for Australia but for that to happen Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be expecting a much-improved show from his bowlers. The chances are that Dhoni may favour a couple of changes in the playing XI, the most important being the inclusion of Ishant Sharma in place of Bhubaneswar Kumar.
The batting combination will very likely be the same in spite of Shikhar Dhawan’s lack of form at the top of the order. But then Dhoni has been a firm supporter of Dhawan as on his day the left-hander can ‘alone win matches for India. But then again a lot will depend on the pitch which is expected to be quicker than the one at offer at the WACA in Perth.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma, however, made it clear that irrespective of the nature of the pitch, India will need to take wickets in the middle overs if they are to make a contest out of the series.
“Notwithstanding the Perth loss our confidence and morale are high,” Rohit told reporters here Thursday. “The crucial factor however is that our bowlers will have to come good in the middle overs. If we manage to do that we will certainly stall the momentum of the opposition and that is vital in these conditions,” he added.
Meanwhile, there is a chance that rain may play spoilsport. The local met office has predicted chances of medium to heavy showers in the afternoon. So a curtailed game can also be a possibility.