2nd ODI: India eye series win against Afghanistan in Lucknow
What's the story
India will take on Afghanistan in the second ODI of the three-match series at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow. The match will take place on Wednesday. After a convincing seven-wicket victory in the rain-affected opener, Shubman Gill-led India is looking to clinch the series with another win. On the other hand, Afghanistan are hoping for a better all-round performance to keep their hopes alive in this series. Here is the match preview.
Match conditions
Pitch report and weather conditions
The pitch at Ekana Stadium is expected to provide a good balance between bat and ball, with spinners likely to get some assistance. The average first-innings score on this surface is 213. As for the weather, it will be hot with temperatures peaking at 40-41°C during the day before dropping to 37-39°C in the evening. The match will be broadcasted live on Star Sports Network and streamed online on JioHotstar app/website (1:30pm IST).
Game strategy
What can be a good total?
Teams have had more success chasing at Ekana Stadium, with five out of nine ODIs won by the side batting second. Hence, the captain winning the toss might opt to bowl first. If Afghanistan bats first, a score between 210-230 could keep them in contention on this bowler-friendly surface. On the other hand, India will look for a target of 260+ if they bat first, which could be tough to chase on this ground.
IND vs AFG
Can Afghanistan bounce back?
The opening ODI was a 25-over per side affair where India restricted Afghanistan to 194 runs before chasing down the total with seven wickets remaining. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a 48-ball ton for the Afghan team, no other batter could make a significant mark. Their bowlers also could not do much as spin twins Rashid Khan and AM Ghazanfar were far from effective.
Historical context
A look at the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, Team India has a strong record against Afghanistan in ODI cricket, having won four out of their five encounters. The only tie was during the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai. India continued their dominance with a seven-wicket win in the first ODI of this series and will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak at Ekana Stadium.
Team lineup
Here are the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna. Afghanistan (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
Player spotlight
Here are the key players
Indian skipper Shubman Gill has been in great form lately and scored an unbeaten 84 in the first ODI. Debutants Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar claimed three wickets each in the series opener. For Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz's brilliant century in the series opener makes him a key player. Rashid Khan's average of 19.73 is the second-best among bowlers with at least 150 ODI scalps.
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