England opt to bowl against India in must-win second ODI at Cardiff
Cardiff, July 16
England won the toss and elected to field first against India in the second ODI at Cardiff on Thursday.
India will aim to clinch the three-match ODI series as the visitors head into the contest with a 1-0 lead after a convincing six-wicket victory in the series opener at Edgbaston.
However, despite their dominant performance, India will be eager to address a few lingering concerns as they look to wrap up the series, while England face a must-win encounter to keep the contest alive.
"We're gonna have a bowl today. (Talks about the pitch) Yeah, nice even spread of grass. So hopefully we can get a little bit of seam movement and swing up front. (Anything you want to do differently here?) Just execute slightly better, I think. I've always said we're never out of games, and I thought we put up a really good fight last game. To take it that deep was an awesome effort from the guys, and yeah, some more of that really. (Team changes) Josh Tongue and Liam Dawson come out for Saqib Mahmood and Gus Atkinson," England skipper Harry Brook said.
"We would have bowled first as well. (How are you keeping?) Doing well, and yes, pleased we had a near-perfect game last game. So hopefully we're gonna have another good game. (Very clinical last game and a good bowling performance) Yeah, definitely. I think we had a good 6-7 overs in the powerplay, and then we were put under pressure at the end of the powerplay. But I think how we came back in the middle overs, fast bowlers taking wickets, it was just tremendous to see. (For you, it's coming back home. You played a season here) Yes, I did. I played a season here with Glamorgan, very good memories there. So hopefully I will have another one to add to those memories. (Any changes?) Yeah, we've got one change: KL is sick, so he misses out, and Ishan Kishan comes back in," Indian skipper Shubman Gill said.
Teams: India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna. England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood.
— ANI
Reader Comments
England need to be more aggressive in the powerplay. Brook's decision to bowl first might backfire if India's top order fires. Root and Buttler need to step up in this must-win game.
Good to see Shubman Gill leading from the front with captaincy and batting. But why drop KL? He's been consistent. Ishan Kishan will have big shoes to fill. Let's see how the Cardiff pitch plays - it usually offers some swing early on. 🏏
England's bowling changes make sense - Saqib Mahmood and Gus Atkinson add freshness. But India's batting depth is scary even without KL. Washington Sundar at 6 gives us batting till 8! England need early wickets to stay in the game.
England's body language seems off after the first loss. Brook's comment about 'executing slightly better' sounds like they're still figuring things out. India just needs to stay calm and play their natural game - the series is ours to lose! ✌️
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