Adelaide: India’s reliance on an all-rounder-heavy lineup faces a stern test against a determined Australia in the second ODI, with the spotlight firmly fixed on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as they seek series-saving performances Thursday.
The opening ODI of the three-match rubber was a forgettable affair for India with multiple stoppages at Perth that affected the momentum of their batting unit, eventually leading to a seven-wicket loss.
The bowling unit also failed to impress but to be fair to the likes Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel, the batters gave them only 136 to defend.
The challenges at the Adelaide Oval won’t be any different with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood once again set to ask probing questions down that “corridor of uncertainty”, relentlessly.
With the Australian summer just about starting, there would be bounce and lateral movement on the country’s fresh tracks, combining for conditions that can deflate the best in the business.
For the home team, last match’s hero left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann has been released and seasoned leg-break bowler Adam Zampa is back after attending the birth of his child along with a fit-again Alex Carey, who was playing a Sheffield Shield game.
Rohit’s extra time at nets with Gambhir
With a talent like Yashasvi Jaiswal warming the bench, there is enormous pressure on Rohit Sharma to perform and the former skipper arrived at the Adelaide Oval practice arena at least 45 minutes before some of the members joined him for an optional net session.
And the only person from the coaching staff who was present at the nets was head coach Gautam Gambhir. He was accompanied by two throw-down specialists — Dayanand Garani and Raghavendra. The other coaching staff came some time later.
In fact, the first net where Rohit entered was damp and the throw-down deliveries were just flying from length.
Sensing that the senior-most player in the team could get hurt, coach Gambhir told him to shift to another net where he had a fairly long stint. As Rohit batted, Gambhir’s eyes didn’t shift anywhere.
While Rohit was concentration personified, Virat Kohli took the day off after an extended net session on Tuesday. For all his famed intensity, Kohli has been very relaxed in the ongoing trip and has been seen happily obliging autograph hunters and selfie seekers.
“They both look in very good touch to me. They batted really well yesterday — every net session, their approach has been excellent. So I feel they are really batting well, to be very honest,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on eve of the second ODI.
Multi-skilled or bits ‘n’ pieces??
The absence of Hardik Pandya always affects the balance of the white-ball set-up and it is once again evident in Australia where Pandya, the medium pacer, who can crank up to 140 clicks, is being missed.
Whether Gambhir’s template of batting till No. 8 with Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy in the set-up is a workable option would be clear by the time the series concludes.
“Someone like Hardik is always a big loss. But if we look at the positive side, Nitish is getting some game time and we’re trying to groom him,” said Kotak.
“Every team needs an all-rounder, and we’re trying to develop him in that role. So it’s a good preparation in that way. But yes, any team would miss a player like Hardik,” he added.
For this team management, NKR is a ‘project’ which they can’t be allowed to go haywire.
On the day, both Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna, two bowlers with better primary (bowling) skills compared to Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana, sweated it out at the nets.
But norm suggests that a lot of those who spend extra hours prior to match, don’t get to play. Kuldeep and Prasidh, with his extra bounce and pace, can, however, be fitted in somewhere.
There is every chance that India will play with the same eleven in the second game.
However, Kuldeep, as an attacking bowling option over Washington who at best is a restrictive bowler, is something that the Indian team needs to consider. But what could work against Kuldeep are the shorter side boundaries at Adelaide Oval.
The wrist spinner runs the risk of being punished square of the wicket if he misses the length. But he could buy wickets, the art of which is still somewhat of an alien concept for Washington.
Squads:
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
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