After a thrilling 1st ODI in Pune, the scene now shifts to the 2nd ODI at Cuttack between India and England. The bowlers from both teams will be scratching their heads as to how to stop the onslaught from the batsmen. Even though India chased down the target of 351 with 11 balls to spare, there will be a lingering concern regarding the performance of their top order. The England spinners will also need to find a way to contain the Indian batsmen as it is very rare to win a series in India without the spinners coming to the party. Here are 5 mouth-watering clashes that could play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the match.

Jason Roy vs Hardik Pandya

Jason Roy has been brilliant for England and has got his team off to a flying start on many occasions. His ability to take advantage of the field restrictions in the first 10 overs puts the pressure back on the opposing bowlers. In the first ODI, he gave the England innings impetus with a blistering 73 off just 61 balls. Hardik Pandya has been used as an opening bowler in the last ODI series against New Zealand by MS Dhoni and Virat continued in that vein. If Pandya can get rid of the dangerous Roy, then India are well on their way towards restricting England to a manageable total. If Roy can get off to a brisk start then England have the firepower to post a huge total.

Jos Buttler vs Jasprit Bumrah

Buttler holds the record for the 3 fastest centuries by an Englishman in ODIs. He has the ability to attack the bowling right from the word go and is particularly dangerous at the death. His batting strike rate of 119.63 is the highest among all the 202 batsmen who have scored at least 2000 ODI runs. Bumrah has been the find of the year for India in 2016 and is especially good at the death with a clever use of yorkers and slower balls. Both of them are team mates at Mumbai Indians and this will give added spice to the contest as neither will want to give an inch and be on the receiving end of jokes in the MI dressing room. If England gets off to a good start, then Buttler is the ideal man to capitalise and put the game beyond India’s reach and Bumrah could play a crucial role by containing Buttler and restricting England to a manageable total.

Virat Kohli vs David Willey

Kohli is in the form of his life and seems to score centuries almost at will, especially in ODIs. Willey is not express, but has the ability to swing the ball and bowls most of his overs up front with the new ball. On Indian pitches which don’t offer much assistance with the new ball, a good swing bowler is worth his weight in gold as he can defeat the batsmen with extra movement. Kohli is in imperious form and if he is not dismissed early, then he will make England pay dearly and Willey is England’s best hope with the new ball.

Joe Root vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Joe Root is one of Kohli’s rivals for being considered the best batsman in the world and he has the stats to back it up. He averages 46.19 in ODIs (which is lesser than Kohli’s, but is very good in absolute terms) at a batting strike rate of 85.42 with 8 centuries to his name. Ashwin has made a habit of targeting the best batsman in the opposition and making them his bunny. However, he looked rusty in Pune as he was playing his first ODI in a year and also appeared to be bowling defensively and looking just to contain the flow of runs, rather than getting the batsmen out. England depend on Root to give them a solid foundation and if he can get the better of Ashwin then it will be a major boost for England.

Kedar Jadhav vs Adil Rashid

Rashid has been England’s number one spinner in the shorter formats of the game and his poor showing in the first ODI was one of the main reasons for England’s defeat. Jadhav’s knock of 120 was so brutal that he even outscored Kohli in the partnership and he did not let Rashid settle into any kind of rhythm. Rashid’s 5 overs cost 50 runs and Jadhav scored 31 runs in 12 deliveries from him with 3 fours and 2 sixes. Rashid has to find a way of keeping things tight and taking wickets, otherwise he (Rashid) is bound to feel the pressure from India’s batsmen who are excellent players of spin.

Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties but what is certain is that each of the above mentioned contests are bound to be exciting and could potentially decide the fate of the game. Most neutral fans will be hoping for some spectator riveting cricket.