India were outplayed by New Zealand in all departments of the game during the 1st ODI, where the visitors emerged victorious on Sunday (October 22). The home team will be eager to turn the tables around in the second game of the three-match series at MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (October 25).
India captain Virat Kohli will have to get his team combinations right for the do-or-die contest. Despite the 1st ODI loss, one does not see India making any changes from the team that played in Mumbai. Dinesh Karthik, who was picked ahead of Manish Pandey in the middle order, got a decent start, but failed to convert into a meaningful score.
The Tamil Nadu man should get another chance to prove his credentials. Rest of the players will pick themselves.
With India expected to play with the same team, there is a serious need to come up with a better all-round display and level the three-match series 1-1 in Pune, which will make the third ODI as the series-decider.
Coming to the New Zealand side, they looked in ominous form with both bat and ball. After a solid performance from the bowlers, including Trent Boult, who was the pick of the bowlers, Tom Latham and Ross Taylor steered their team to six-wicket victory with a solid performance.
Captain Kane Williamson will not be keen to break their winning combination. However, they might think of tinkering with their bowling as Colin de Grandhomme did not have a good day. If they want to bring in Ish Sodhi as their second spinner, the lanky all-rounder could face the axe.
However, there is no question of making any chances in their batting line-up, which looked brilliant in the first game.
Pitch conditions
The pitch in Pune has always favoured the batting side, and the same could happen in the second ODI as well. The playing surface will be full of runs, and the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Taylor and Williamson will be eyeing big scores.
However, spinners could also get some assistance if they bowl in the right areas.
The average first innings score of 327 runs at MCA stadium reflects the kind of batting surface, which has been provided to players in the past.
Probable Playing XIs
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (w), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (w), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Match starts 1.30 PM IST
