Having lost the first ODI by five wickets, MS Dhoni-led India will look to turn things around in their favour in the second ODI. The second ODI will be held at The Gabba in Brisbane on Friday.
We saw a number of battles during the first ODI, now let us take a look at some of the key clashes that one can expect in the second ODI:
1. Rohit Sharma vs Josh Hazlewood: Rohit came up with a stellar performance in the first ODI. He scored his ninth century of the 50-over format and his 4th against Australia. This was also his third on the Australian soil. His average against the Aussies is outstanding. Hazlewood has surely marked Rohit as a potential threat and will look to exploit the latter's weak points in the second ODI. Hazlewood was the most economical bowler in the first ODI and Rohit will have to bat really well in order to tackle the movement the right-arm seamer generates off the deck.
2. Virat Kohli vs Scott Boland: Kohli missed out on his 24th ODI century by a whisker as he got himself out on 91 in the first ODI. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper batted extremely well in the first ODI and added 207 runs in tandem with Rohit. He played the Aussie bowlers with ease but Boland will look to have a go at him. In his initial spell, Boland bowled a tight line and length. Unfortunately, the Melbourne Stars bowler was not that effective. Kohli has had a problem with a ball that leaves him outside the off-stump and Boland can give the Indian star some nervy moments and test him.
3. Steve Smith vs Ishant Sharma: Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled economically in the first ODI, he lacked pace. Ishant Sharma might just get the edge over Kumar in the second ODI as Smith and the lanly pacer have not faced each other much in the ODI format. Sharma recently has been bowling well in the domestic circuit and he has troubled many Australian batsmen on these pitches in the past. One can also never forget his spell against the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. Smith has left the Indian bowling line up frustrated as they just have no clue how to get the Aussie skipper out.
4. George Bailey vs Ravichandran Ashwin: The Australian batting duo Bailey and Smith toyed with the Indian spinners in the first ODI. A bowler of Ashein's class was embarrassed as he gave away too many runs. Bailey took on the spinners right from the start and did not let Ashwin settle down. Will the Australian batsman stick to the same tactics or will Ashwin have some other plan in his mind? For us to know, we will have to wait and watch till Friday.
5. Barinder Sran vs Usman Khawaja: The Punjab-born left-arm seamer could not have asked for a better debut. Sran claimed the wickets of Aaron Finch and David Warner early during the run chase in the first ODI. Later he also bagged the wicket of Smith, but he could not win it for India. Sran is pumped after his performance in the first ODI and he will look to cause some troubles for Khawaja. The left-handed batsman has been in superb form in the domestic season and also in the Big Bash League. He also scored four Test centuries for his nation in his last six innings. Can Sran pick up Khawaja's wicket in the second ODI?
