2nd ODI: Kohli back for India, England unchanged

Virat Kohli, who missed the first ODI against England with a groin niggle, has been recalled to the playing 11 for the second game at the iconic Lord’s Stadium, London on Thursday. He replaces Shreyas Iyer. 

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat. 

As soon as Sharma, at the toss, announced that Kohli has been added to the playing 11, there was a huge roar from the crowd. India are looking to seal the series with a win at Lord’s. 

Also read: How many T20Is does Virat Kohli have to get back in form before World Cup 2022?

“We’re going to bowl first. Less grass for sure but looks like there is some moisture in the pitch. Looking at the size of the ground, we thought it’s better to have a score on the board. Virat Kohli comes back in for Shreyas Iyer.”

Talking about Jasprit Bumrah, who took six wickets in the first game, the Indian captain added, “He’s a proper bowler, no matter which the format is. Gives us a different dimension and can bowl in any phases of the game. Always nice to have a bowler like him in the squad. I thought it was quite challenging (to keep wickets), as in England, ball tends to move even after passing the stumps. He (Pant) did take some really good catches. They were very important for us. It (Lord’s) is one of the best stadiums in the world, so the guys are keen to play well here. Sun is out, so perfect conditions.”

Also read: India vs England 2nd ODI: Records, statistics and pitch report

England go with an unchanged 11. 

“We would have bowled first as well. A 50-50 decision to be honest. Seems like a bit of moisture and might be tricky early on, if we can survive that, we should be fine. We’re going with the same team. I think we’ve got to move on and just think it (the loss) as one of those off-days. We always think that batting is our main strength and one game isn’t going to change it. Special time it was (World Cup win), anytime you’re playing at Lord’s, it’s a great feeling,” skipper Buttler said. 

Teams:

England (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Craig Overton, David Willey, Brydon Carse, Reece Topley

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna