India travel to the Adelaide Oval to take on Australia in the second ODI of the three-match series taking place between the two teams on Thursday, October 23. The home team defeated India by seven wickets in the first ODI of the series, and have now taken a 1-0 lead in the series. India will have to win both matches to ensure that they do not suffer a whitewash at the hands of their hosts. India's batting unit failed in spectacular measure in the first game of the series, whereas Australia were calm and composed to take home the match comfortably by the end of the evening.
Rain played spoilsport for most of that encounter, but the sides were able to get a reduced game thanks to the hard work of the ground staff at the stadium. India would like to play on this pitch in Adelaide since it is expected to be more placid than the one in Perth. Moreover, this pitch also aids spinners, and this will act as a blessing to the travelling Indians. Australia, who have named a rather inexperienced side for this series, will have to be prepared for a strong Indian fightback in this game. The hosts, too may play two spinners in this game even though it is a limited-overs encounter played with two balls ensuring that not much spin is possible.
India will rely on the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who did not deliver the goods in the first ODI, and will be rearing to come back strongly. This senior duo, who have been earmarked by the selectors for most likely not being a part of their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, will have to perform exceedingly well. For Australia, the likes of captain Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and senior bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will hold the key. Since the pitch is expected to be hard and good for strokemaking, the side that bats well and makes good use of the powerplay will have a big advantage.
Predicted Teams
AUS: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Matthew Short, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
IND: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Key Players
Mitchell Starc (AUS): Left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc got the big breakthrough of Virat Kohli in the first ODI, but his worth is not just limited to that. The senior seamer can get the ball to both move away and back into the right-handers, while doing much of the same to southpaws as well. His slingy action makes it difficult for batters to pick him up early, and this often results in him being very economical with his bowling.
Rohit Sharma (IND): Former India captain Rohit Sharma fell for just 8 in the first ODI, but he is someone who can wreak havoc with the Australian bowling unit once he gets set. Sharma is one of the most destructive openers in world cricket, and once he gets his eye in and manages his footwork well, he is very hard to keep a leash on. His pull and cut strokes can hold him in good stead in Australia's bouncy pitches.
Match Prediction
Australia have an advantage over their opponents, especially after their thumping win in the first ODI. India are struggling with a lack of preparation, since they entered into this series straight on the back of a home Test series with the West Indies. They did not get a chance to prepare themselves on these pitches, which are more true in their nature than the ones they get back home. Australia have form going their way, and are also better prepared than their opponents. We expect them to win.