India vs England 2nd ODI: 4 players worth watching out for
In what promises to be an entertaining and fabulous encounter, Rohit Sharma-led Team India will be seen clashing against Jos Buttler's England in the second One-Day International match of the three-match ODI Series at the Barabati Cricket Stadium of Cuttack. This exciting contest will commence from 1:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time) onwards in the afternoon.
In the first match of the series, Team India defeated the Englishmen by a margin of four wickets and this win allowed them to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Rohit Sharma is handling the leadership duties of the Men in Blue in the ODI Series whereas Jos Buttler is the commander of the Three Lions.
In the previous game, Jos Buttler, skipper of England, won the toss and opted to have a bat first on a dry pitch of Nagpur. His team got off to a good start but they weren't able to capitalize on this start and they got bundled out for a mere score of 248 runs in 47.4 overs.
Skipper Buttler played an amazing knock of 52 runs and Jacob Bethell supported him in a good manner as he went to score a half century as well. But in the end, their efforts went in vain as England failed to cross the 250 run mark.
The Rohit Sharma-led Outfit had to score 249 runs in 50 overs to secure a win in this game and they did just that as they chased down the target with ease in 38.4 overs thanks to the brilliant batting performance of the trio of Shubman Gill (87 runs in 96 balls), Shreyas Iyer (59 runs in 36 balls) and Axar Patel (52 runs in 47 balls).
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli didn't get the chance to take part in the opening match of the series due to a swollen knee problem. But, his return to the side in the 2nd ODI is pretty much confirmed. The Indian team management would want him to get some runs under his belt as they would want Kohli to be at his best in the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.
All eyes will be on the star players of both teams and ahead of this entertaining clash, let's take a look at four players that are worth watching out for in the second ODI.
India vs England 2nd ODI: 4 players worth watching out for
Shubman Gill: The Prince of Indian Cricket, Shubman Gill performed in an exceptional manner in the opening match of the series, playing a good inning of 87 runs in 96 balls and he was also awarded the Man-of-the-match award for this good performance. He is in good form and he can definitely prove to be a threat for the English bowlers.
The 25-year-old has scored 315 runs in the last six matches at an impressive strike rate of 176.96 and an average of 35. Also he's on the verge of breaking a massive ODI record of Hashim Amla and he will surely be one player to watch out for.
Rohit Sharma: India's skipper Rohit Sharma has been struggling to find form with the bat as his batting woes have been going on since the Test-Series versus New Zealand. He hasn't played a single good knock in any format since November of last year and he needs to find his form quickly as Team India need him to be at his best ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025.
He has scored 230 runs in the last 9 matches with a strike rate of 169.11. Rohit Sharma's explosive start helps the team to score big and one single good inning will help him to rediscover his lost mojo.
Jos Buttler: Jos Buttler, the white-ball captain of England didn't have a good T20i series with the bat versus India but he started off the ODI series on a positive note, scoring a good half century in Nagpur. He will play a key role in the middle order of the Three Lions and he will be hoping to fire with the bat yet again in the Cuttack ODI.
He has scored 214 runs in 8 matches at an average of 42.8 and a strike rate of 158.51. Jos Buttler's combination of calm and aggressive batting provides stability to England's middle order and if he manages to find some consistency with the bat, then India could be in big trouble.
Phil Salt: Explosive wicketkeeper batsman Phil Salt is looking in his explosive form with the bat at present. He didn't perform well with the bat in the first four T20i matches versus India but in the Wankhede T20i game, he scored a brilliant fifty. He has successfully transferred that momentum into the 50 over format as well as in the Nagpur ODI, he helped his team get off to a fiery start, playing a good inning of 42 runs but a miscommunication with his partner Duckett meant he got run out.
The 28-year-old is an intelligent batter and he knows how to dominate the bowlers from the word go. He has managed to score 272 runs in his last 8 ODI outings with an average of 34 and a strike rate of 99.63 with his aggressive style. Philip Salt can do something different with his bat even in today's match.
Head-2-Head record between Team India & England in One Day Cricket
Fierce-Rivals India and England have faced each other in a total of 108 One Day International matches and the Indians have the upper hand as they have finished on a victorious note on 59 occasions while the Englishmen have secured victories in 44 games. Two matches between the two teams have ended in a tie situation while the three encounters ended in no-result situation.
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