Australia and India will play the second One-Day International (ODI) of their three-match series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23. In the series opener in Perth, the home team used the DLS system to overcome the Men in Blue by seven wickets with 29 balls to spare.
India’s batting could not find any momentum as rain interrupted their innings multiple times, and they ended with 136/9 in 26 overs. Australia chased down the total with seven wickets in hand, going 1-0 up in the three-Test series.
With two more ODIs to be played in the three-match series, India need to tighten the strings. On that note, here is a look at three changes India could make to get back to winning ways.
Here are the 3 changes India should make to return to winning ways in AUS vs IND 2025:
3. Play Prasidh Krishna in place of Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana, the 23-year-old pacer has received a lot of backing from the Indian team management, making his India debut across formats last year. But his numbers have not shown the potential the Indian team management sees in Harshit Rana. He has 19 wickets across formats in 11 matches. He has 10 wickets at an economy of 5.80 in six ODIs, including the best bowling figures of 3/31. He went for 27 runs in four overs in the first ODI in Perth and was ineffective with the ball.
India must reduce the focus on batting depth and bring in Prasidh Krishna to bring some more teeth to the Indian bowling unit. Krishna’s height will be an advantage for the Indian team going into the next two ODIs in Adelaide and Sydney. Though the pitches might not be as bouncy as Perth, Krishna can extract bounce from those surfaces and has the pace to trouble the Australian batters. He has good numbers in ODIs as well, with 29 wickets at an economy of 5.60, with the best bowling figures of 4/12.
2. Move KL Rahul to no. 5 instead of Axar Patel
As India searched for quick runs after losing three quick wickets, and surprisingly, Axar Patel appeared at the crease, in place of KL Rahul, batting at no. 3. The move stunned everyone in the Perth ground and even commentators. Axar Patel had been recently promoted to the no. 5 spot, and he had scored 314 runs in 10 ODIs at an average of 34.88, with one fifty.
However, KL Rahul has majorly batted at no. 5 in the Indian ODI team, including their successful run in the ICC World Cup 2023. He has scored 1299 runs at an average of 56.47, including two centuries and nine fifties, with the highest score of 112. With numbers backing him, Rahul must be batting at no. 5, irrespective of the situation.
1. Kuldeep Yadav needs to come in the playing XI in place of Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddy
Kuldeep Yadav’s absence from the Indian XI for the first ODI against Australia in Adelaide was remarkab;e. India went in with three pacers in Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh and two spin-bowling all-rounders in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. This left Shubman Gill without a wicket-taking option in the middle overs.
Kuldeep Yadav has 181 wickets at an economy of 4.99 in 113 ODIs, including two fifties, with the best bowling figures of 6/25. However, the question remains, who will Kuldeep Yadav replace in India XI – Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddy? For Reddy to continue, he needs to bowl 7-8 overs as the third pacer, while Sundar provides a better bowling option for India. With Sundar being the better bowler than Reddy, it seems like Reddy might be the sacrificial lamb for Kuldeep to enter the Indian XI.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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