IND vs ENG 2nd ODI: Will Shreyas or Yashasvi Make Way for Kohli?

IND vs ENG ODI: Who will be out among Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal when Virat Kohli returns?

When the Indian team faces England in the second ODI on Sunday, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli. Virat did not play in the first ODI due to a knee injury. He was also seen wearing a band on his right knee during practice. However, Shubman Gill, who led India to a four-wicket win against England by scoring 87 runs, has clarified that Virat Kohli’s injury is not serious and he will play in the second ODI to be held in Cuttack on February 9.

Virat’s knee was swollen before the ODI match in Nagpur. Shreyas Iyer was included in the team in his place at the last moment. Gill, who became the Player of the Match in Nagpur, says that there is nothing to worry about Kohli’s injury. In such a situation, the question now arises who among Shreyas and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be dropped in the second ODI? However, the kind of innings Shreyas played, the chances of him being dropped are low.

The board did not clarify the situation

Due to Virat not playing in the Nagpur ODI, there were question marks on his fitness in the Champions Trophy starting from February 19. Although Gill has definitely said that Virat will play in the second ODI, but till now there has been no official statement from the BCCI medical team about the seriousness of Virat’s injury.

Virat did not play in the Ranji match against Saurashtra for Delhi last month due to a neck strain, however, he played in the Ranji match against Railways and got out cheaply. If Virat plays in the second ODI then he will have to prove both his form and fitness.

It will be difficult to leave Shreyas out

If Virat plays in the Cuttack ODI, the situation will once again become complicated regarding selection. Shreyas Iyer was included in the team at the last moment when Virat did not play. Shreyas also said that he was watching a movie the night before the match when he got a call from captain Rohit that Virat’s knee is swollen and he may have to play fewer matches. After this, he left the movie and went to sleep.

Shreyas played a brilliant innings of 59 runs in 36 balls and made a partnership of 94 runs with Gill. After this innings of Shreyas, it will be a difficult decision to leave him out of the second ODI. Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting also advocated for Shreyas and said that he is surprised that Shreyas is not a regular part of the team in the white ball format.

Equations putting pressure on Rohit

Shubman Gill has also confirmed his place by playing an innings of 87 runs. Virat’s return to the team can happen if Yashasvi is dropped, who scored 15 runs in his first match. In such a situation, Gill can come in to open. All these equations regarding selection are putting more pressure on Rohit Sharma. He is the only batsman who has not been scoring runs for a long time.

In Nagpur also, he could score only two runs in seven balls. Due to not being in form, he himself dropped himself from the Sydney Test against Australia. However, this is the first ODI and there should not be a situation of dropping himself in Cuttack, but it is certain that when Rohit comes out to bat in Cuttack, he will be under immense pressure to score runs. Gill can open with Rohit, while Kohli will come at third and then Shreyas’ turn will come.

Serious discussion with Rohit

The pain of not getting runs from Rohit’s bat was clearly visible on his face during the conversation with coach Gautam Gambhir after the match against England ended in Nagpur.

Gambhir and Rohit had a long discussion, but the expressions on Rohit’s face were telling that the discussion was serious. However, it is not clear whether this discussion was about Rohit’s own batting or about the strategy for the Champions Trophy.

Will Pant be given preference over Rahul?

It will also be interesting to see whether the team management will want to test Rishabh Pant after trying KL Rahul in one match. Rahul got a chance in the first match, but he could score only two runs. In such a situation, Pant can be given a chance and the one who plays better among the two can get practice of one more match in the form of the last ODI.

Apart from this, there is a growing discussion about including Varun Chakraborty in the Champions Trophy team. Kuldeep Yadav, who is returning from injury, had conceded 53 runs in 9.4 overs in the first ODI and took only one wicket. In such a situation, Varun can be given a chance in place of Kuldeep.

Gill said no problem in playing at number three

Shubman Gill, who usually opens in ODIs, said he has no problem playing at number three as he plays at the same position in Tests, so he does not have to make much adjustments at this position. However, batting at this position is always challenging. If the team loses wickets early then you have to play cautiously and if the opening pair has scored runs quickly then you have to bat accordingly.

I always try to play in this position according to the situation. On the excessive use of sweep and reverse sweep by young cricketers of the Indian team against spinners, Gill said, this is not a team strategy but a personal choice.

IND vs ENG 2nd ODI: India’s probable playing 11

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami/Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy.