With series win in sight, India gear up for 'Surya namaskar' against England in second ODI

The immensely talented Surya Kumar Yadav is likely to get a chance to showcase his '360 degree' hitting skills when a rampaging Indian team take on a rather clueless England, aiming to seal off another series victory in the second ODI on Friday.

Shreyas Iyer's dislocated shoulder has once again brought Yadav into focus and his ODI debut looks imminent after a blockbuster first outing in T20Is. This follows an all-round show from the hosts that ensured a comfortable victory in the first ODI.

Iyer was one of India's most prolific 50-over batsman before the Covid-19-enforced lockdown but such is the team's strength that a debutant looks more formidable for a world champion opposition. England are no less menacing than usual but seem utterly confused at this point.

Being spoilt for choices is always a good headache to have for the think tank and skipper Virat Kohli will be more pleased than anyone else.

Kohli has not had Ravindra Jadeja's services for close to three months but the maverick from Rajkot has not missed due to the impact of Axar Patel in the Tests and Krunal Pandya now in the ODIs.

ALSO READ: Shreyas out of England ODIs, likely to miss IPL first half too

Prasidh Krishna, already a household name due to the IPL, looked completely at home on his ODI debut, hurrying batsmen for pace in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.

And come to think of it, once Jadeja and Bumrah are back, a Krunal or Krishna will either cool their heels in the dugout or even worse, not find a place in the squad, which is a testimony to India's unimaginable depth in the talent pool.

The biggest positive during the opening game was Shikhar Dhawan's return to form with a match-winning 98. He was under pressure after being benched for a large part of the T20I series. The elegant southpaw would be raring to go one more time.

Rohit Sharma had sustained a blow to his elbow during the first match but is expected to be fit in time for the second game.

In case India want to give Rohit a short break, then Shubman Gill can open alongside Dhawan with KL Rahul coming in at his usual middle order slot. However, according to sources, Rohit is keen to get cracking as the injury is not very serious.

It is expected that Rishabh Pant could play purely as a batsman and Rahul would continue to keep wickets.

Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav leaked 68 runs in nine overs and could be replaced by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. However, Chahal was very expensive in the T20Is and did not appear to be in the best of form.

The pace trio of experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, newbie Prasidh Krishana and the ever-improving Shardul Thakur took nine of the 10 wickets and would be keen to rock the England batting line-up again.

The best part was how the bowlers came back after mayhem in the first 15 overs from Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow.

Shardul has been continuously playing and it won't be a bad option to try out T Natarajan or Mohammed Siraj for a bit of variation.

"One of our sweetest victories in the recent past," said skipper Kohli after the first match. "We haven’t won many good games in ODIs. I am really a proud man right now."

Meanwhile, England will look to level the series and stay alive in the contest. England have a lot to ponder and injuries to skipper Eoin Morgan and batsman Sam Billings in the lung-opener have only added to their woes. Both appear doubtful for the second game.

Bairstow was among the runs as he blazed to 94 off 64 balls as was his partner Roy (46).

The two will be looking to put up another fine show and carry forward their aggressive brand of cricket, which was the cornerstone of the 2019 World Cup triumph.

However, their middle order haven't performed to their potential and the likes of all-rounder Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali faltered with the bat in the first ODI.

If England have to put a big total or chase a score, the trio needs to fire in unison.

Their key spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali haven't been able to trouble the Indian batters and both went wicketless in the opening game. They will have to step up and deliver and along with Tom Curran. The pacer will need to compliment his brother Sam and pace spearhead Mark Wood, who has consistently troubled the batters with his speed.

Friday will determine whether India are able to add another match to their list of "sweetest victories" along with a series triumph or if the visitors are able to spoil their party.

The ODI squads:

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur.

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Sam Billings (wicketkeeper), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood. Cover players: Jake Ball, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan.