The Indian cricket team is getting ready to face West Indies in the second ODI of a 3-match series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. The first ODI, which took place on Thursday, ended in a victory for India. They hope to continue their winning streak in the second match at the same venue. But as a surprise, Indian Team is playing the second ODI against West Indies without their two senior players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Fans were surprised when all-rounder Hardik Pandya walked out for the toss instead of the regular captain, Rohit Sharma. It turns out that Rohit is taking a break for today’s game, and Hardik Pandya will be leading the team in his absence. Moreover, Virat Kohli, the batting maestro, is also being rested for the second ODI against West Indies.
In the absence of these two senior players, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel have been included in the playing XI. West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first in the second ODI at the Kensington Oval.
Sanju Samson has finally got a chance to represent India again, and he is donning the Indian blues for this match against West Indies in Barbados.
Hardik Pandya Revealed Why Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Were Dropped
At the toss, Hardik revealed that both Rohit and Virat have been rested as the team management is keen on giving a chance to the youngsters. He said:
“We were looking to bat first. We want to see how much we can score on this pitch which is a bit up and down. Rohit and Virat have been playing constant cricket, so they are resting in this game.”
“They can be fresh for the third ODI. I think when you get someone out for 115, it’s a good effort from the bowlers. Our catching was impressive, but we can improve in certain areas. Instead of losing five wickets, we could have lost only two wickets and finished the last game. Sanju and Axar come in for Rohit and Virat,” he said.
Sanju Samson Is Back In The Team:
Sanju Samson has finally got a chance to represent India again, and he is donning the Indian blues for this match against West Indies in Barbados. His last appearance for the national team was in January of this year in a T20I, and his last ODI appearance was in November 2022.
The decision to include Samson in the side for the second ODI came after India opted to rest Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are two of the star players. In the first ODI, both senior batters were demoted to lower positions in the batting order. Rohit came out to bat at number 7 during the small chase of 115 runs, and Kohli didn’t even get a chance to bat.
Samson is considered as a good player who can provide good batting strength to the Indian middle order, and he got the opportunity to join the squad for this tour due to the absence of KL Rahul, who is usually the keeper for the ODI side, and Shreyas Iyer, a middle-order batsman.
Playing XIs of IND vs WI 2nd ODI:
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Keacy Carty, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales.
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.
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