CRICKET
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's inability to set the pace during middle overs will remain a major cause of concern when India take on Australia in a do-or-die second ODI on Tuesday in their bid to keep the three-match series alive.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's inability to set the pace during middle overs will remain a major cause of concern when India take on Australia in a do-or-die second ODI on Tuesday in their bid to keep the three-match series alive.
Hardik Pandya's sudden suspension on disciplinary grounds has badly affected the balance of the batting order, which was apparent during team's 34-run defeat in the opening match despite vice-captain Rohit Sharma's 22nd hundred in the 50-over format.
Dhoni's 51 off 96 balls and failing to rotate the strike has brought to focus the rejigging that skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri will have to fret upon.
With Dhoni being slotted at No 5 even though vice-captain Rohit wants the veteran to bat a notch higher but cues from India's training session made it clear that the team is unlikely to tinker with the batting order.
India's batting order did come under the spotlight at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The top three (Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kohli) have enjoyed a fairly consistent run since 2016.
But it was a rare occasion when Dhoni had to come out in the fourth over of the innings.
Dhoni averages 52.95 while batting at number four, which is higher than his current career-average of 50.11 over 333 games.
It is even higher than his favoured batting positions of number five (50.70) and six (46.33) but batting lower down the order, strike-rate becomes paramount.
Yet, Dhoni's career strike-rate at number four is 94.21 is higher than his overall career strike-rate of 87.60, or at number five (86.08) and number six (83.23).
When India last played ODIs in Australia in January 2016, Dhoni batted at number four in two matches but only scored 18 runs.
In fact, since that series, Dhoni has batted at number four in only eight ODIs, with the last instance in the 2018 Asia Cup.
He averages 24.75 in this interim, with a strike-rate of 77.34 and a highest of 80 against New Zealand in October 2016.
This presents a quandary, which the Indian team management might not be in a mood to sort out at present.
A very warm and sunny welcome here at Adelaide as #TeamIndia sweat it out in the nets ahead of the 2nd ODI.#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4OkUI3Nk8A
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2019
Rayudu did well enough in the Asia Cup and in the home series against West Indies, and both batsmen merit a longer run in their respective positions to help settle this batting line-up in the run-up to the English summer.
No pre-match short-list has been announced for this second ODI, and all-rounder Vijay Shankar only arrived late Monday afternoon in Adelaide, this might not be available for selection.
In Hardik's continued absence, any forthcoming changes will be to find a better balance between bat and ball.
While India coped in the Asia Cup and against West Indies when he was out injured, playing three spinners in sub-continental conditions helped. In overseas conditions, Pandya's absence restricts the team's capability with both bat and ball.
Despite his suspect action, Rayudu is free to continue bowling in international cricket, but it remains to be seen if the team management would want him to.
Kedar Jadhav provides an alternative option in that light, and he could come into the playing eleven at Dinesh Karthik's expense.
There is every chance that the same bowling composition as in the first ODI will be retained, despite Khaleel Ahmed being off-colour. He batted in the nets alongside Yuzvendra Chahal on Monday.
Out of the three fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami was most impressive in the first match and given the delicate situation of this series, he will certainly not be left out.
The team management also banks on Ravindra Jadeja's all-round skills, and as such Chahal's chances of an immediate return to the side look doubtful.
Mohammed Siraj had a long bowling stint though, under the watchful eyes of coach Ravi Shastri, and he could be in contention for Ahmed's place.
However, the onus will be on the top three batsmen to come good once again and deflect any undue pressure on the middle order for a second game running.
Kohli averages 73.44 at the Adelaide Oval across all formats, while in ODIs alone, he still averages an impressive 46.66.
While he would definitely strive to score runs again at his favourite venue, Dhawan's form will be in limelight.
Along with Dhoni and Rayudu, he is the third batsman in the top six who didn't play any domestic cricket while the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was being contested.
While Dhoni is retired from Test cricket, and Rayudu announced his First-Class retirement before the Ranji season began, Dhawan had no such excuse and spent his time holidaying in Melbourne instead of playing in the 2018-19 Ranji season.
While he was in good form before this chosen break, it remains to be seen if his first-ball duck in Sydney was more than a slight blip.
Australia didn't announce their playing eleven for the second ODI either, but it is expected that they will field the same team as in the first match.
Their biggest concern at the moment is if Glenn Maxwell is batting at his best position at number seven.
Teams:
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Vijay Shankar.
Australia: Aron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa.
Match starts at: 7.50am IST.
DNA TV Show: Congress not to contest UP by-polls, lends 'unconditionally' support to SP
Venom The Last Dance movie review: Tom Hardy's final Marvel outing is a king-size disappointment
Pushpa, Stree 2 choreographer Jani Master gets bail in sexual assault case
Who is Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the next Chief Justice of India?
KL Rahul rejects retention offer from Lucknow Super Giants, set to enter IPL 2025 auction: Report
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance to give bonus share ahead of Diwali, check last date to apply
When Hollywood actress Natalie Portman insulted a BIG Bollywood megastar, he was asked to 'get lost'
J-K: 2 porters killed, 3 soldiers injured after Army vehicle attacked in Gulmarg
Shah Rukh Khan is back on small screen with legendary tale, it will lead up to…
Pre-Diwali Skincare: 5 quick tips to achieve flawless skin this festive season
Bomb threats to Indian planes continue: More than 80 flights receive fresh security alerts
Mumbai Police arrests vegetable seller from Jamshedpur for sending death threat to Salman Khan
'Dukh toh hota hi hai': Ex-India star blames MS Dhoni for dropping him at the 'peak of career'
Amitabh Bachchan defended Aishwarya Rai after she opted out of this film due to...
THIS company lost Rs 36430 crore in 6 hours, it's not Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, Tata Motors
Narak Chaturdashi 2024: Know the date, time, rituals, significance of Choti Diwali
'Attitude is...': Ex-Tesla employee shares experience working with Elon Musk
IND vs NZ: Washington Sundar scripts history in Pune, becomes first Indian to achieve big feat
Mukesh Ambani hails Meta CEO, says Mark Zuckerberg will go down in history for...
SC issues notice to Ajit Pawar on Sharad Pawar faction's plea over NCP 'clock' symbol
'UPSC hotspot': THIS college produces most IAS, IPS officers every year
Unlock the Power of Quick Recovery: Why every windows PC needs RestoreX360
Royal Enfield first electric bike spotted, it will be unveiled on…
'Dead' baby found alive during funeral in..., what happened next will SHOCK you!
Anil Ambani gets good news ahead of Diwali, his Rs 17016 crore company receives...
Apple iPhone 16 pro is now available for just Rs 52,930 on Amazon, how you can grab this deal
Diwali 2024: 5 vastu-friendly home decor tips to welcome wealth, prosperity this Deepawali
'Breasts, not oranges': Cancer awareness campaign by Yuvraj Singh's NGO draws flak, DMRC recalls it
Virat Kohli reveals being in tears while talking to Anushka Sharma following THIS incident
Man kidnapped from chaat stall, but there's a twist, watch viral video
IND vs NZ: R Ashwin goes past Australia's Nathan Lyon to set new World Test Championship record
Dhanteras 2024: Date, significance, shubh muhurat and more
Nvidia rolls out Hindi-language AI model in India: What is it and how will it work?
Netizens not happy with this billionaire's apartment in Bengaluru, says, 'you can afford better'
'Kejriwal, Atishi looted Rs 8,500 crore for...': BJP protests at Yamuna's Chhath Ghat
Cyclone Dana trains cancelled: Over 300 trains cancelled, check full list here
Bengaluru school's Rs 1.5 lakh fees for Nursery sparks controversy, parents' reaction goes viral
THIS rule will change from November 1, Airtel, Jio, Vi, BSNL users should pay attention, it will...
Video of man dancing around Russian woman at India Gate goes viral, sparks online debate
Innovating the Future: Aniruddh Tiwari's visionary advancements in AI and aata analytics
Revolutionising Enterprise Data Frameworks: How one lead data engineer is driving innovation
Pakistani model's BOLD move, walks Miss World ramp without...; watch video
What role did IAS officer Srushti Deshmukh's family play in her UPSC success? Details here
BIG allegation against Donald Trump, ex-model says former president groped her in front of...
THIS rule made by Ratan Tata won't allow Noel Tata to become Tata Sons chairman, it is...
JioHotstar domain acquired by Delhi-based app developer, he now wants Mukesh Ambani's Reliance to...
Alia Bhatt was totally smitten with Aishwarya Rai's dance videos because...
Ind vs NZ 2nd Test: When, where to watch India vs New Zealand 2nd Test match live
When Salman Khan broke his silence on blackbuck case: ‘Just because I cannot…’
Hyundai Motor India launches historic IPO, paves way for innovation and growth in automotive sector
BIG change in world's richest people list: Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani's fortunes now...
Ananya Panday gets trolled for her outfit, netizens say ‘she is getting Janhvi-fied’
Tom Holland confirms Spider-Man 4, reveals film will go on floors in...