DO-OR-DIE FOR INDIA
Kohli & Co. are under pressure to bounce back in Pune
New Zealand took India by surprise in the first one-dayer in Mumbai and will be looking to close down the three-match series at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium here with another win. The Men in Blue were riding high coming into the series with back-to-back series wins against the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Australia but the swaggering, double-hundred partnership between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor at the Wankhede Stadium ruined skipper Virat Kohli’s 200th ODI party.
India will be out to level terms as failure to do so will not only see a series loss, but also shatter their opportunity of reaching number one in the ICC ODI rankings.
Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan failed in the first game and will look to regain form with Ajinkya Rahane waiting for his chance after Dhawan’s return. Kohli, who skipped Monday’s optional training session, will be looking to repeat his Mumbai heroics along with Mahendra Singh Dhoni using his flair and experience in the middle order.
Recent addition Dinesh Karthik could provid support to Virat in the middle order to cement his position with Kedar Jadhav aiming to impress again in his hometown. No changes are expected to the side.
Bowling looks an uphill task at this pitch where 706 runs were scored in the last ODI. Yuzuvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who according to Arun had a bad day in Mumbai, will want to regain the sort of wicket-taking form they put on display against Australia.
Pacers Jaspreet Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who also skipped optional training, took a wicket each at Mumbai and can swing the ball when needed with all-rounder Hardik Pandya providing an option as the third seamer.
The Pune weather will come as a respite after the humidity in Mumbai especially for the Kiwis who will not make any changes to their winning side with Tom Latham hinting that all their players were fit to clinch the series.
However, Ish Sondhi could come into the side to add a spin option for the Black Caps. Martin Guptill and Colin Munroe, who provided a fine start at Mumbai could put on another explosive display.