At 99/4, Virat Kohli was happy with the situation and told coach Ravi Shastri, “this is good.” India will be pleased about the fact that they won the 1st ODI without much from the top three. MS Dhoni produced an innings of absolute masterclass alongside Kedar Jadhav and took their side home without much fuss. We now move to the Vidharba Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur for the second ODI where India will look for a 2-0 cushion.

From the Indian dressing room:

Shikhar Dhawan fell first ball and the pressure will be on him as KL Rahul is breathing down his neck for a place in the eleven. The southpaw would be given another game at the top but needs to make use of it. Rohit Sharma will partner him with the skipper at number 3.

Rohit struggled for his 37 runs which came off 66 balls but the Hitman barely scores any ugly runs.

Virat Kohli looked good with his almost-run-a-ball 44 but was gutted with himself after not being able to convert it to a big score.

Ambati Rayudu scored a sublime 90 in New Zealand but failed to deliver in Hyderabad. He will try to be consistent to have an upper hand at the number four position unless India want to experiment with Rahul or Rishabh Pant.

MS Dhoni’s ODI numbers in 2019 are unreal. He has an average of 150.50 this year with all 4 of his 50s coming against the Kangaroos. He has just been dismissed once while chasing. His place at number 5 looks fixed with the World Cup around the corner.

Player of the Match, Kedar Jadhav, is a must-have at number 6. He showed real maturity in bailing India out of danger and sealed the victory for his side. His ability to not only bowl but take wickets makes him a vital cog in the unit.

Hardik Pandya’s absence was felt in Hyderabad. Especially in the bowling department. Shankar was expected to keep things tight, which he usually does, but was unable to deliver in the first ODI. He wasn’t required to bat in the series opener.

Jadeja was pretty economical after being drafted in last-minute to replace Pandya. He too should retain his place in the playing eleven for the second ODI.

Kuldeep Yadav was good with the ball but the pick of the bowlers was the lean, mean pace machine, Mohammad Shami. Skipper Kohli was in belaud for the speedster and hopes he continues in the same manner. Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets but ended up conceding run-a-ball which, in all honesty, shouldn’t be a concern for him although he will like to correct things quickly.

If the Men in Blue do want to shuffle with the bowling, we might see Yuzvendar Chahal fill in for the Chinaman.

From the Australian dressing room:

The main problem for the visitors was that their middle order got starts but no one went to make a big score. They won spells in patches but never made most of the small openings. Their lower order came good to take them to the score of 236 and after putting India at 99/4, one thought that they had the upper hand. Finch’s captaincy was attacking but it is his batting that needs to come to the fore.

Aaron Finch continued to struggle with the new ball and was in for an early shower in the 1st ODI. His form is vital for the team if they want to retain their title in the World Cup. One would say that Australia are missing David Warner and Steve Smith but for now, they have to do without them. Usman Khawaja came good to get to his half ton and should continue to open the innings.

Stoinis’ move at number 3 didn’t quite click and Australia will need more from their Hulk. A positive for the Men in Yellow is that Shaun Marsh had a good training session and should be slotted straightaway into the playing XI. He would come in place of Ashton Turner who would be the likelier one to make way. Marsh has been in superb touch in limited overs and the visitors will look to seek inspiration from him.

Marsh coming in will mean that Handscomb and Maxwell will slip back down the order. The latter who wanted to bat higher up will have to wait for a better match situation.

Nathan Coulter-Nile is making a strong statement for himself with both bat and ball. He strengthens the lower order and has been economical with the ball, helping Australia make the right balance.

Adam Zampa has got rid of Virat Kohli 4 times in international cricket. He has never got any other batsman out more than twice. He spun a web around the Indians and stemmed the flow of runs. He will be a handful if the Aussies want to give the hosts some fight.

Barring Coulter-Nile, none of the Aussie pacers picked up wickets and that will worry Finch. The Kangaroos always boast of a formidable pace line up and they need to come good in this series. Jhye Richardson got the better of Kohli in every ODI when India toured Australia, will we see him in the next ODI?

We don’t see the team from Down Under mixing and matching much. Marsh might come in that should be that. Nagpur has favoured the team chasing allowing plenty of runs to be scored. We expect another belter of a pitch in this batsmen dominated game. Remember 2013, the 6th ODI between these two sides where over 700 runs were scored? One can be guilty of expecting the same.

The second ODI begins at 1.30 PM IST in Nagpur on March 5 in Nagpur.