LONDON: India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field against England in the second ODI of the three-match series, at the Lord’s stadium here on Thursday.
India star batter Virat Kohli has been included in the Playing XI after he had missed out on the first ODI due to a groin injury.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit said, “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. He’s (Bumrah) a proper bowler, no matter which format. Gives us a different dimension and he can bowl in any phase 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, the 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,” he added.
On the other hand, England skipper Jos Buttler said, “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.”
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.
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. (ANI)