Daijiworld Media Network
Indore, Oct 14 : Moving on, India will be forced to make a change after R Ashwin picked up an injury during the first ODI. Harbhajan Singh has been added to the squad and it will be interesting to see if Dhoni includes him straightaway into the playing XI. India also have the option of using Gurkeerat Singh Mann, who bowls off-spin and has the ability to score quickly down the order. Since the side is looking for a finisher, maybe Dhoni might be thinking to have a look at Gurkeerat. But, is he ready to replace a frontline bowler with a batting all-rounder? Will Stuart Binny get another game? On the other hand, South Africa are not expected to make any changes.
It is nice and sunny out there and the players are warming up on the outfield. The stands are fast filling and the ground is already more than half full with about 20 minutes to go for the toss. People are wondering if MS Dhoni has lost his touch. With Dhoni being unable to finish the game a couple of days ago despite being very familiar with the situation, a lot of them started doubting his skills, but personally I feel that he's too good a player to not bounce back. Let's give time some time and see how things pan out.
There have been just three ODIs played at this venue and all have been high-scoring encounters. With the boundaries being short, batsmen playing more aggressively nowadays and with the quality players on both sides, it won't be surprising to see a mammoth score being posted on the board. This is what Rohit said after having a look at the 22 yards: The pitch looks good. There have been high scores. Virender Sehwag scored his double ton here so we know what needs to be done. Whether dew will play a part or not is not clear yet.
India have won the toss and have opted to bat
AB de Villiers: 'We are also looking to bat first. Looking at our bowlers warming-up, there is a bit of swing in the air, so hopefully we'll start really well with the ball and restrict them to a chasable total. We are playing an unchanged side. We always want to improve. Yes, we won the last game, but still can play better. Not a lot teams have come here and won the first three games of the tour, hopefully we can win today as well.'
MS Dhoni: 'We will bat first. Looks like a good wicket, it's a bit hot, we are told that dew comes only after 8.30. Binny, Mishra and Ashwin (injured) are out, Axar, Mohit and Harbhajan are in. It was tough to leave out Mishra, because he was our best pick in the last game, but at the same time I can't see him bat at No. 7 because that will make out batting light. Looking at the composition, we had make these changes. Spinners have been our strength. The fast bowlers were quite after from the last few overs, hopefully they will come good today. We felt that it's good to have three proper fast bowlers at this venue, Raina can bowl a bit of off-spin as well. We are confident of doing well today.'
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(c), Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni(w/c), Suresh Raina, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav
Two of Rohit Sharma's hundreds (106 in Dharamsala, 150 in Kanpur) have already gone in vain in this series and the opener wants his bowlers to deliver quality goods. 'It (the bowling) is a concern, we cannot run away from that. When you're bowling to players like AB de Villiers, you have to be extra-smart and more pro-active. All the fast bowlers are working on it. I feel they just need to be more pro-active, that will help us,' Rohit Sharma said, ahead of the second ODI.
The last time India played a game at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, a bludgeoning opener was unstoppable. On December 8, 2011, Virender Sehwag smashed West Indies' bowlers to all corners to become the second player to score a double-hundred in ODIs. His 219 was also the highest individual score back then. So what do we have in store today? Hello and a warm welcome to the second game of the 5-match ODI series. Just like the T20I series, the ODI series too was off to a cracking start, with Kagiso Rabada's calmness helping South Africa clinch a thriller by 5 runs.
Two of Rohit Sharma's hundreds (106 in Dharamsala, 150 in Kanpur) have already gone in vain in this series and the opener wants his bowlers to deliver quality goods. 'It (the bowling) is a concern, we cannot run away from that. When you're bowling to players like AB de Villiers, you have to be extra-smart and more pro-active. All the fast bowlers are working on it. I feel they just need to be more pro-active, that will help us,' Rohit Sharma said, ahead of the second ODI.
The last time India played a game at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, a bludgeoning opener was unstoppable. On December 8, 2011, Virender Sehwag smashed West Indies' bowlers to all corners to become the second player to score a double-hundred in ODIs. His 219 was also the highest individual score back then. So what do we have in store today? Hello and a warm welcome to the second game of the 5-match ODI series. Just like the T20I series, the ODI series too was off to a cracking start, with Kagiso Rabada's calmness helping South Africa clinch a thriller by 5 runs.
Match Preview:
South Africa have had a splendid start to their tour of India, winning three out of the four games that has taken place so far. India lost a close match in Kanpur but will take heart from the fact that they managed to fight till the end. While the scoreline suggests a disparity in quality between the teams, a closer look will indicate that India have failed to come up trumps in crunch situations. Both teams will be aware of that fact. South Africa need to ride the momentum to put more pressure on the hosts while MS Dhoni and Co. will be gunning to turn things around quickly.
The last time India played in Indore, Virender Sehwag smashed a double ton. If the pitch is anywhere similar to how it was four years ago, then another run-feast is on the cards with both sides packing some explosive batsmen. The recent ODI rule changes, however, are aimed at restricting the boundaries scored in the death overs but South Africa still managed to amass 86 in the last six overs of their innings in Kanpur. However, that was as much a result of poor bowling from India and exceptional hitting by AB de Villiers in particular.
Date: 14th October, 2015
Time: 13:30 Local time
Venue: Holkar stadium, Indore
India
R Ashwin's injury came as a big blow midway through the first game. The absence of the in-form spinner will continue to hamper Dhoni's plans, robbing him of a genuine wicket-taker in these conditions. Harbhajan Singh's inclusion is aimed at stemming the difference and India will also be toying with the idea of playing three spinners. Axar Patel should be a straight swap for Stuart Binny while the pacers are expected to hold on to their spots.
India's batting order too warrants a reshuffle with suggestions from various quarters calling for Virat Kohli to return to the No. 3 spot. However, that would entail dropping Ajinkya Rahane who scored a valauble fifty in the previous game. Given that they fell just five short in the previous game, India are likely to give the combination a longer rope.
Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Axar Patel/Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav
South Africa
Most things went right for South Africa in the first ODI. All their batsmen got off to starts while AB de Villiers converted it into something special. David Miller's form will be a cause of concern but not something that will give the team management sleepless nights. They can still afford to go in with an unchanged combination.
However, an area of concern will be the bowling unit getting used to the conditions better. India were on song in the chase for a large part of the innings and on a rather helpful wicket, South Africa were not able to restrict runs against Rohit Sharma and Rahane in particular.