2nd ODI: Kohli Makes Comeback, Varun Debuts as England Chooses to Bat First Against India

Synopsis

In the second ODI match at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, Virat Kohli makes his comeback to India's lineup while Varun Chakaravarthy debuts. England won the toss and chose to bat first, aiming to level the series after losing the first match.

Key Takeaways

Virat Kohli returns to the Indian squad.
Varun Chakaravarthy makes his ODI debut.
England wins the toss and opts to bat first.
India leads the series 1-0.
Rohit Sharma comments on the pitch conditions.

Cuttack, Feb 9 (NationPress) Star batsman Virat Kohli returns to the Indian squad while wrist spinner Varun Chakaravarthy gets his ODI debut as England won the toss and opted to bat first in the second match at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

India currently leads the three-match ODI series 1-0 after clinching the first game in Nagpur by four wickets. Kohli, who missed the Nagpur match due to a sore knee, replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal and will bat at the number three position.

Shubman Gill, who was the top scorer with 87 runs in Nagpur, will open the innings alongside captain Rohit Sharma, while Shreyas Iyer maintains his position at number four. Meanwhile, at 33 years and 164 days, Chakaravarthy becomes India's second oldest ODI debutant after Farokh Engineer, stepping in for a rested Kuldeep Yadav in the playing eleven.

Chakaravarthy received his ODI cap from Ravindra Jadeja and had an impressive performance in India's 4-1 T20I series victory, taking 14 wickets and earning the Player of the Series title.

“The first game was a good performance. I appreciated the energy, especially after not being on the field for a while,” said Rohit Sharma at the toss. “It was great to witness after losing two wickets. Shreyas is known for his intent and attitude, along with contributions from Shubman and Axar. The black soil pitch looks uncertain; maybe it will play on the slower side, which is what I expect.”

For England, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Overton join the playing eleven, replacing Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, and Brydon Carse. Bethell is sidelined with a hamstring issue, prompting England to call up batter Tom Banton as cover, who will arrive in India on Monday.

“We are opting to bat first today. We have been making progress, aiming to perform better for longer periods, and hopefully, we will have a successful day. The pitch appears a bit dry with black soil and looks promising,” stated captain Jos Buttler.

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, and Varun Chakravarthy.

England: Philip Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, and Saqib Mahmood.