Rohit returns as Men in Blue look to seal series

Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will take over the reins from Hardik Pandya after missing the first game for personal reasons.

India will look to wrap up the ODI series against Australia when the two sides meet here at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium for the second ODI on Sunday.

In the series opener in Mumbai, the hosts fought back after losing the early momentum in both stages of the match to post a five-wicket win and go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will take over the reins from Hardik Pandya after missing the first game for personal reasons. His return will bolster the top order which struggled against Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell on Friday. Ishan Kishan is likely to make way.

The ongoing series is a crucial part of the preparations for the World Cup later this year in India, and the Men in Blue can take heart from the fact there were some bright spots after the first match.

In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj rose to the occasion with three wickets each. Notably, five of the six were during the middle overs, which triggered the Aussie collapse.

With the bat, K.L. Rahul guided India to victory with a well crafted unbeaten 75 when the side was in trouble at 16 for three. The Karnataka batter holds the key for the team’s chances in the quadrennial event as a wicketkeeper-batter in the middle-order.

Rahul’s form was an area of concern after he lost his place in the Test squad for the last two matches of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against the Aussies. But in ODIs, the 30-year-old has been one of India’s most consistent performers over the last three years.