Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir (Source: AFP)
India will take on England in the second ODI of the three-match series at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday (July 16). Shubman Gill-led Indian team has already taken a 1- 0 lead in the series after a convincing six-wicket win in the series opener at Edgbaston.
Ahead of the ODI series, reports suggested that the Indian team management, led by Gautam Gambhir, has introduced a rotation policy as part of its preparations for the ODI World Cup 2027.
"The team management and the selectors are trying to convince the senior players about the rotation policy for a while now," a report from TOI said.
However, after the first ODI, it seems that Shubman Gill has stamped this rotation policy, and so there are chances that one of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or both might be rested or benched for the IND vs ENG 2nd ODI.
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Shubman Gill Backs Team India's Rotation Strategy
After the IND vs ENG 1st ODI, Shubman Gill said that the team is trying different combinations to find the best balance in both batting and bowling.
He explained that the conditions in England, especially the movement and bounce available for fast bowlers, are expected to be similar to those in South Africa, where the ODI World Cup 2027 will be played.
On experimenting with combinations ahead of the 2027 World Cup: "Yes, we are really trying different combinations to see which kind of combination gives us best depth in bowling and batting, in both the departments. I think the wicket that we played on, the conditions would be a bit similar to South Africa."
"It was not easy for the batsmen with the new ball. The ball was doing a bit, the ball was kicking off. It wasn't as easy to score runs with the new ball. But, the wicket settled in nicely and I think the conditions are going to play similar in South Africa as well."
"So if we can test different combinations on these kind of wickets, it would be great for us.” Shubman Gill said at the post-match ceremony.
According to Gill, batting was not easy with the new ball in the opening ODI as the pitch offered help to the seamers. However, he added that the wicket became much better for batting as the innings progressed.
Who Will Replace Virat-Rohit If Any One Is Benched In IND vs ENG 2nd ODI?
If India wants to rest either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli for the second ODI, Ishan Kishan is likely to be the frontrunner to return to the playing XI.
Depending on which senior batter is rested, India could make slight adjustments to the batting positions without changing the overall balance of the side.
The expected India's playing XI against England could feature Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. However, if either Rohit or Kohli is rested, Ishan Kishan could step into the XI.
How Did Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Perform In IND vs ENG 1st ODI?
Although India comfortably chased down England’s target of 259 to win the opening ODI, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both had disappointing outings with the bat.
Rohit managed only 11 runs from 21 balls, hitting one four before being caught by Harry Brook off Sam Curran.
Virat Kohli’s stay at the crease was even shorter. He scored just five runs from 6 balls, including one boundary, before Jofra Archer trapped him leg before wicket.
Their early dismissals left India at 48/2 inside the first nine overs; however, captain Shubman Gill steadied the innings with an 80-run knock, while Shreyas Iyer contributed a valuable 35. The match was then taken away from England by Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
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