Do or die for England to avoid series defeat

Overview:

India v England, 2nd ODI
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Friday, 26 March; 01.30pm local time, 08.00am GMT

The clash between the top two white-ball titans has seen the tour ebb and flow since the first Test but India has emerged victorious in the red-ball format as well as the T20Is. They have also taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Both the sides will likely see forced changes in the second match owing to injuries. England’s captain Eoin Morgan suffered a split webbing while Sam Billings sprained his collarbone joint. Both will be unavailable for the second ODI. Morgan, in fact, has been ruled out of the remainder of the series with Jos Buttler to captain the side.

It will be interesting to see what Liam Livingston does with the opportunity he has got as he is expected to make his ODI debut in the absence of Morgan.

From India’s camp, Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a dislocated shoulder. Rohit Sharma also took a blow on the right elbow and didn’t take the field in the second innings but wasn’t deemed serious.

Remember the last time:

Indian batsmen posted a competitive target of 318 runs, thanks to half-centuries by Shikhar Dhawan (98), Virat Kohli (56), and a combined finishing effort from debutant Krunal Pandya (58*) and KL Rahul (62*).

In reply, the English opening batsmen Jonny Bairstow (94) and Jason Roy (46) hit back with a counter-offensive stand of 135 runs off 86 balls. However, debutant Prasidh Krishna (4/54), Shardul Thakur (3/37), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/30) turned the tide in India's favour – bowling them out for 251, ensuring a 66-run win.

What they said:

Shikhar Dhawan (India opener): “It feels good to see young talent come into the side. They play a lot of domestic cricket with the IPL alongside and against big names helps build a lot of confidence coming into the international. They even get training from the world’s top-notch coaching staff.”

Eoin Morgan (England captain): “I think we are a really dangerous side to play against. Particularly the way went about our business in the first match in the majority of the game. If we had played really well and been on top form, we would have chased that total down in no time but that wasn’t meant to be.”