Australia [121/0] demolish India [117] by 10 wickets in 2nd ODI, series 1-1

[Saj]

Mitchell Starc ran through the India batting lineup in Visakhapatnam with a five-for as India were reduced to one of their lowest ODI totals at home.

India were skittled out for a mere 117 in the second ODI of the series, recording their second-lowest team score while batting first at home.

India managed to slightly better their lowest first-innings total at home by five runs, surpassing 112 against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala in 2017. This was also their fourth-lowest total at home in ODIs and their third-lowest against Australia.

Mitchell Starc carried his form over from the west coast of Mumbai to the east coast of Visakhapatnam, starting with the wicket of Shubman Gill in the very first over after India were put in to bat first.

Three overs later, he was on a hat-trick for a second game in a row, scalping skipper Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive balls. Yadav's dismal ODI form continued as he recorded his second golden duck in a row.

India's saviour with the bat from the previous game, KL Rahul, couldn't repeat his heroics this time with the left-arm pacer trapping him in front of the stumps. Steve Smith took a phenomenal one-handed stunner at slips to send Hardik Pandya back as India lost half their side before putting 50 runs on board.

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja looked assured at the crease but couldn't add much to India's score with Nathan Ellis accounting for both their wickets. Sean Abbott too was on a hattrick after snaring the wickets of Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami off consecutive balls but it was Starc who was destined to get his five-wicket haul, rattling Mohammed Siraj's stumps to finish with figures of 5/53.

The five wicket-haul was Starc's ninth in ODI cricket, taking him level with Brett Lee for most five-fors for Australia and into the top five for most five-fors in ODI history.

In reply, Australia needed only 11 overs to chase the total down as they took apart India with some brutal hitting. Mitchell Marsh was devastated during his 36-ball 66*, smashing sixes fours and sixes each. Travis Head wasn't to be left behind as he remained unbeaten on 51 off 30 balls.

The margin of loss was the biggest inflicted on India in ODI history, with Australia chasing down the total with 234 balls to spare. The loss against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019 was the previous worst, where the Black Caps chased down a target of 93 with 212 balls to spare.

ICC

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

This team management cannot win a icc tournament. Until the likes of Dravid Rohit etc are not gone, expect no changes. Hence no improvement.

Bring back Ravi Bhai! For the vibes, if nothing else!

 

[jattafridi]

Need a big plan against India

What a plan ) ) 10 wickets victory

 

[jattafridi]

Unbelievable Performance from Australia

Most likely Australia will lose 3rd odi Rohit want revenge

 

[RamLakhan]

What a plan ) ) 10 wickets victory ��

That was not their plan, its because India didn't have any plan! At this rate (if such management, such selection policy, such grooming of youngsters, captaincy, coaching, etc continues), then we will surely reach below Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, etc. Hopefully someone stops this soon...

 

[RamLakhan]

Dhoni's captaincy was criticized in his latter days. But he never made his team look so incompetent, inconsistent His team used to lose by narrow margin in his ending days of captaincy (in his prime days - his team was winning again by "narrow" margin, but he was criticized even for this - taking the game to end overs!) This I am telling in LOIs...

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Dhoni's captaincy was criticized in his latter days. But he never made his team look so incompetent, inconsistent His team used to lose by narrow margin in his ending days of captaincy (in his prime days - his team was winning again by "narrow" margin, but he was criticized even for this - taking the game to end overs!) This I am telling in LOIs...

Aagayi dhoni ki yaad?

 

[Cric1234]

A proper thrashing exposing the flat track batsman of India to be ordinary on wickets with some help for the bowlers.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

I'd still back India in the WC. Australia have too many flaws. England or India are almost certain to win.

 

[cricketjoshila]

The Rahul Dravid regime is a disaster. The sooner we see his back the better.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The Rahul Dravid regime is a disaster. The sooner we see his back the better.

Which regime in your opinion will start winning ICC tournaments? Shastri-Kohli did even worse in the previous World T20 and the squad selection for 2019 World Cup was terrible.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Which regime in your opinion will start winning ICC tournaments? Shastri-Kohli did even worse in the previous World T20 and the squad selection for 2019 World Cup was terrible.

Why not someone like a Wasim Jaffer? It’s a bit left field, but didn’t he previously do good work with Maharashtra?

 

[hitthestump]

The Rahul Dravid regime is a disaster. The sooner we see his back the better.

Every regime has been a disaster for you. There is no nation on Earth who even come close to possessing the advantages that India does. Yet you remain a mediocre cricketing nation with a bare trophy cupboard and a penchant for complete humilations such as this one.

If there was a trophy for balance sheets you'd win every year. Unfortunately thumping your chests about that aspect doesn't get you very far as the people who benefit from that don't know or care about the average Indian fan. It's time to wake up and stop promoting the BCCI, they aren't doing enough for your cricket team.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Why not someone like a Wasim Jaffer? It’s a bit left field, but didn’t he previously do good work with Maharashtra?

By that logic even Dravid did a lot of good work with Under 19 and A teams and people were praising him rightly. But now it's all Dravid's fault according to a few.

If Wasim Jaffer can't produce magic, they'll all turn on him as well. The issues are elsewhere.

 

[Banda298]

India needs new players. Rohit, Kohli are all old school. They still think run a ball century and a score of 300 is something to celebrate.

Teams like England, Australia have moved on from that approach. They aim for 400 every time they come out to bat. Even Pakistan has realized that and you can see they are giving chances to new players who shined in PSL.

Very well said. The need of the hour is not stat padders like rizwan babar and ageing greats like kohli rohit , ***** like rahul who will hit below 150 sr usually , when the world has shifted towards Jason roy/ buttler/ Roussow / klaasen and co. Who make sure sr is in range of 170- 300 plus.


Add to that awesome allrounders like stoinis moin ali etc and u have eight batters , 3 proper bowlers , two extra part time/ full time bowlers in those 8 for the depth in bowling/ batting as per pitch.

I dont see india going beyond semi finals unless rohit /rahul retire

 

[VForVendetta]

Lot of hyperbole statements I see,specially from Indian fans.Yes it was an embarrassing defeat, arguably one of the worst ODI defeats in their history. But it's definitely not the end of the world as many are reacting. I still back Ind to bounce back & win the series. It has become a sort of habit for them to lose a couple here & there in bilateral home series against SENA. With the exception of the latest NZ whitewash this has been the story for pretty much a decade.They lose 1 if it's a 3 match series, lose 2 if it's a 5 match series but eventually end up winning the decisive one. So I don't concur with all these panic going around. In last 3 years this is the fourth time they have lost a LOI by 10 wickets if I am not wrong. Along with these if you add the "36" disaster they have recovered from every one of those defeats pretty quickly & sharply. I also don't think this defeat makes Ind lesser favorite than Eng or Aus in WC.English are currently struggling & are at their worst phase in LOI in last 8 years.Aussies aren't simply consistent enough.If not anything, simply being the host makes Ind favorites. They have few adjustments to make but overall they are in better shape than almost all the teams.

 

[Saj]

Any sign of BCCI offering refunds to fans?

 

[Colorblind Genius]

 

[Ab Fan]

SKY must be dropped. He is of no use in ODIs. When will Pant be back? BCCI need to reschedule the World Cup in 2024 so Pant can be back and fit to play.

 

[sam_ahm]

This fraud Jadeja was dusted as an ODI bowler in 2014. He averages 49 with the ball since October 2014. Since 2017 CT final, he bats at a selfish strike rate of 85 and still plays in the top 6/top 7.

And yet every time there is an ICC tournament, he is magicked into the squad .

What on earth? Jadeja is India's best all format player at the moment, he was Man of the Match in just the last game.

 

[sam_ahm]

I'm not sure if India is missing Bumrah at all, Shami and Siraj are doing a hell of a good job and if Bumrah returns then surely one of those two will have to make way because in the WC, India will look to play 3 spinners, with Pandya as the 3rd pacer. You obviously need that proper 6th bowling option.

India's batting is a huge problem, I don't know if people even realize this but almost every other game Or may almost evey game it is the Indian lower order that contributes, be it tests or ODIs.

India's top order, of late, has clicked only on dead batting wickets. This is a fact.

 

[Ab Fan]

I'm not sure if India is missing Bumrah at all, Shami and Siraj are doing a hell of a good job and if Bumrah returns then surely one of those two will have to make way because in the WC, India will look to play 3 spinners, with Pandya as the 3rd pacer. You obviously need that proper 6th bowling option.

India's batting is a huge problem, I don't know if people even realize this but almost every other game Or may almost evey game it is the Indian lower order that contributes, be it tests or ODIs.

India's top order, of late, has clicked only on dead batting wickets. This is a fact.

I think if Bumrah is available, India will play Bumrah, Shami and Siraj all three of them. They are all wicket taking options with Bumrah being good at death overs in runs saving too.

If Bumrah is not there then they might go with three spinners because the likes of Prasidh, Umran, Thakur are not as good a choice. Umran can be a wicket taker but he will leak a lot of runs too and not necessarily a good option vs teams like Australia or England who play high pace well.

Now coming to spinners, I actually feel Washington is a better option to have than Axar because Jadeja and Axar will be both similar type bowlers and in conditions where bowl swings and seams and India loses top order wickets, Washington can be sent higher in low chases.

Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Shreyas
KL
Sundar( can bat at 4/5 to maintain L/R combo)
Pandya
Jadeja
Shami
Kuldeep
Siraj

And we have batting depth till 8.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

What on earth? Jadeja is India's best all format player at the moment, he was Man of the Match in just the last game.

No he's not. He has been great in Tests but in white ball cricket , he is massively overrated.

 

[sam_ahm]

No he's not. He has been great in Tests but in white ball cricket , he is massively overrated.

As an overall package that Jadeja provides I'll have him ahead of others. I understand his bowling in LOIs isn't as good as it is in tests but he makes up for it with his batting and fielding.

The only realistic replacement option is Washington Sundar, he is also good but I will prefer Jadeja for now.

 

[sam_ahm]

I think if Bumrah is available, India will play Bumrah, Shami and Siraj all three of them. They are all wicket taking options with Bumrah being good at death overs in runs saving too.

If Bumrah is not there then they might go with three spinners because the likes of Prasidh, Umran, Thakur are not as good a choice. Umran can be a wicket taker but he will leak a lot of runs too and not necessarily a good option vs teams like Australia or England who play high pace well.

Now coming to spinners, I actually feel Washington is a better option to have than Axar because Jadeja and Axar will be both similar type bowlers and in conditions where bowl swings and seams and India loses top order wickets, Washington can be sent higher in low chases.

Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Shreyas
KL
Sundar( can bat at 4/5 to maintain L/R combo)
Pandya
Jadeja
Shami
Kuldeep
Siraj

And we have batting depth till 8.

Yeah If Bumrah is back and if we play 3 pacers + Pandya then it makes the batting a bit weak. Basically we are looking at the proper tail starting at no. 8 , considering the form of these top order batters that's very risky.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

As an overall package that Jadeja provides I'll have him ahead of others. I understand his bowling in LOIs isn't as good as it is in tests but he makes up for it with his batting and fielding.

The only realistic replacement option is Washington Sundar, he is also good but I will prefer Jadeja for now.

I don't agree with that balance at any rate. If Hardik is going to play at 7, then India cannot afford another so called allrounder - especially one who bats as slowly as Jadeja at 6/7. His bowling maybe sufficient for a 6th bowler but India needs a hard hitting batter who can bowl a bit of left arm spin/off spin at 6. That would be a better balance.

Can't afford another 2019 SF repeat when after yop 3, there was no proper batsman and just wicketkeepers and allrounders.

 

[reversehook]

wah re padosiyo, ye ap ki team pr harra rung kis ne hai daala, haiiiii maar daala...

 

[RamLakhan]

Yeah If Bumrah is back and if we play 3 pacers + Pandya then it makes the batting a bit weak. Basically we are looking at the proper tail starting at no. 8 , considering the form of these top order batters that's very risky.

If Bumrah is back, then it is going to be Bumrah + Shami (Siraj will be backup), Pandya as 3rd Seamer (for Indian conditions) is doing well. We need an additional seamer (total 4) only in SENA. This (pace bowling) is not at all an issue for India, most times its doing fine! (But don't expect them to defend totals like yesterday, nobody is going to defend it - even 80s WI fearsome bowling attack if played today with current pitches, rules and conditions) It was totally batsmen's fault... Indian pace bowling unit is least of our problem in all formats, in all conditions (In fact it is our "best" strength).

 

[RamLakhan]

I don't agree with that balance at any rate. If Hardik is going to play at 7, then India cannot afford another so called allrounder - especially one who bats as slowly as Jadeja at 6/7. His bowling maybe sufficient for a 6th bowler but India needs a hard hitting batter who can bowl a bit of left arm spin/off spin at 6. That would be a better balance.

Can't afford another 2019 SF repeat when after yop 3, there was no proper batsman and just wicketkeepers and allrounders.

This could be our proper XI in an "ideal world":

1. Rohit (yes he deserves one last world cup and we don't have better replacement)
2. Pant/Kishan (if pitches are like this, and if our issue is to negate the advantage given to left-arm seamer, as most teams will now start preparing a left arm seamer to attack us! We need a left-handed Opener who can dampen this advantage to some extent! Yes we should start persisting with Kishan in the absence of Pant & believe in this strategy! That's the only option left now! We can't straight away groom some newbies like Padikkal, Jaishwal, etc.)
3. Gill (I think this is where he should bat in future in all formats. He is also our future anchor and hopefully he will be an aggressive one! In an extreme ideal world - only Gill should be in the team and none of Rohit/Rahul/Kohli should be there in the team! This is how Aus/Eng will think!)
4. Kohli/Rahul (Kohli is no more our premier batsmen, let him bat here with less pressure and do what he is good at - quick singles/twos. IMHO only 1 out of Kohli/Rohit/Rahul should be in a LOI side for the standards maintained by Australia/England in framing team! They have restricted their team with only 1 anchor! But here we are having 3 anchors in the lineup which sets us back always! But at least restrict them to 2. But I know our BCCI will end up playing all three! Anyhow I am talking here about our ideal team!)
5. Jadeja (Should start batting higher & bring that L/R balance to the team. He is anyhow not good at accelerating in the end. Given his slight consistency and his other value - bowling & fielding + experience, he should be in the team and also he should be said about his specific role - YOU WILL BAT AT NO.5 from now onwards so modify your gameplan accordingly! I think he will be more relieved to stick to this new role!)
6. S. Iyer (I think at least for ODIs, we should not forget that he made an impact of late! He is injured now, but he can definitely give value to the team! He is missed in this series! Anyhow now he should make up his mind to bat at No.6, and go to attack mode if required. Also he should practice bowling some off-spin like Yuvaraj/Sehwag/Raina, etc, to give more value to the team. Captain should encourage this. Should start trying this at least against low-ranked teams and see how it goes!)
7. Pandya (In fact he can even bat at No.4 and pace his innings better, and give better contribution to the team with bat! In this way we can omit 2 out of Kohli/Rohit/Rahul, in ideal world of course! Shastri I think tried this and saw success in some matches! Pandya was once a reliable batsman in the team, but now he is almost reduced to being a liability! Anyhow he is not reliable as a finisher at the moment. But his bowling is decent, and he gives us the balance - so we have no option but to play him here! Also in my ideal world he should even captain the team! It can make a huge difference both to himself and the team! Gill should be vice-captain!)
8. Sundar/Axar (Both are left handers, both are spinners. But Sundar gives variety with bowling. Also he somehow I think can do a bit of finisher job - the way he improvised in that Gabba Test! But problem is he is not yet tested properly in recent days! While Axar is currently in great form with the bat, he is also hitting the ball hard - he can do that finisher job to some level... I think both these guys need to be tested in upcoming matches, and both should be in the squad to take up this responsibility!)
9. D.Chahar/Thakur/Kuldeep/Any relevant pacer or spinner depending specifically on conditions. This is where reading pitch comes to play! This is where dynamism comes to play! This is where effective use of all reserves in the squad comes to play based on pitch & condition on the given day, who is the opposition, etc, and not sticking to routine rules!
10. Shami - the seasoned + experienced + best available seam bowler at the moment
11. Bumrah/Siraj - Bumrah is the only guy who auto-selects himself in my ideal XI. Only thing is he should be fit to play! Otherwise Siraj is the next reliable guy.

I this way we can try our best to find an ideal team to play the world cup! (Also we should try best to find even better players in the remaining matches and remaining time! Be on the toes always to look for positive changes and be up there in the competitive world)

But I know we cannot expect all these with BCCI & our team management! So don't be surprised if we see a repeat of 2015, 2019.... In 2011 we saw success because we had all these kind of dynamism to some degree in that team! And one should also remember the kind of captain & coach we had then (Dhoni & Kirsten! That also made huge difference!)

 

[MenInG]

 

[nextover666666]

Another 10 wicket defeat seems to be common trend for Indias bowling attack

 

[Front Foot Pull]

it was like one of those typical ICC matches for india. bit of rain around, something in the pitch, opposition seamers running through the indian top order, losing the match.

hoping for some runs in the series decider.

 

[RamLakhan]

Should be reminded of this match before celebrating about yesterday's win! If team combination is not proper (even slightly) this can happen! That's why yesterday's so-called "B" team is better than having Kohli, Rohit, etc who can fail spectacularly in high-pressure knockout game when targeted by a left arm seamer or left arm spinner which has happened many times!

I may sound funny but I am praying to lord that Rohit, Kohli (& few other big match chokers) get injured just before the knockout games so that we field a hungry "b" team in the semis & finals, which improves our chances of winning! Just like how we won test series in Australia after the 36 a/o debacle! The big guys can play all the league matches, pile up huge runs & improve their stats and take the much needed rest in the knockout matches. Then they can take all the credits for winning the trophey even though they didn't play it (like how they gave instructions off the field, how they built up a strong team over the years, how they inspired the team, etc, etc,) like how Kohli took the credit of test victory in Australia!

Fed up of this knock-out exits in ICC events... Even this time we are assured of SF berth (I am not that excited of watching the league games which are just a mere formality! That too in home conditions these guys can make merry!) its only about what happens after that when a smart opponent targets at our loopholes!

 

[MP2011]

Kohli has become a proper leech over last few years across formats. He was one of the reasons why we were blown away by England in WT20 in 2021 due to his inept and selfish batting against not so great England bowlers.

He did squat in both WTC finals and last ODI WC SF.

 

[Devadwal]

Kohli has become a proper leech over last few years across formats. He was one of the reasons why we were blown away by England in WT20 in 2021 due to his inept and selfish batting against not so great England bowlers.

He did squat in both WTC finals and last ODI WC SF.

He was the reason they we played the semifinals against England. We were 30/4 somthing like that against Pakistan .

 

[MP2011]

He was the reason they we played the semifinals against England. We were 30/4 somthing like that against Pakistan .

Yeah, that gives him a free pass for next few years across formats

 

[Ab Fan]

Yeah, that gives him a free pass for next few years across formats

Kohli is doing fine. He got a hundred vs Pakistan in Asia Cup which he scored faster than Rahul and won player of match.

In last 10 games, you have runs from Gill, Kohli, Rahul, Iyer, Kishan and Pandya. One shouldn't be complaining. If anything we need runs from Rohit and Jadeja now.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli is doing fine. He got a hundred vs Pakistan in Asia Cup which he scored faster than Rahul and won player of match.

In last 10 games, you have runs from Gill, Kohli, Rahul, Iyer, Kishan and Pandya. One shouldn't be complaining. If anything we need runs from Rohit and Jadeja now.

Jadeja is not out of form. That is his capacity.

 

[MP2011]

Kohli is doing fine.

Lol, the same gets said before every world event we play and result is no different from any world event we played during last decade.

 

[Devadwal]

Yeah, that gives him a free pass for next few years across formats

Kohli is least problem for us in World cup .

 

[MP2011]

Kohli is least problem for us in World cup .

Hope what you say is proved correct

 

[WengerOut]

From Jadeja onwards batting quality dips drastically. And all bowlers cannot bat. Any top order collapse and India will be bundled out in no time. This will be the main reason India will be outgunned. Not Kohli or Rohit.

 

[Devadwal]

From Jadeja onwards batting quality dips drastically. And all bowlers cannot bat. Any top order collapse and India will be bundled out in no time. This will be the main reason India will be outgunned. Not Kohli or Rohit.

Yes this is our main problem but I don't think on Indian pitch our batting collapsed .

 

[RamLakhan]

Kohli will not be an issue (in fact he will be on the positive side of things) if he doesn't bat at No.3. Poeple like us should not be mistaken. We know that Kohli will not bat lower down because it hurts his ego, that's why we prefer him to be dropped/injured because that's the only way we can't see him bat at No.3. He is actually very good for us batting at No.5 or No.4 because we need some experience and also his athleticism will come in handy (quick running between the wickets & picking gaps in the middle overs).

Rohit Sharma on the other hand cannot do this role (batting in middle order - heck he can't do that even in tests), so he is the proper leach in the side as of now, because he has past it and ideally should not have played this world cup! But Indian Sensitivity will not allow such bold things (dropping Rohit, asking Kohli to bat down - this would have been a norm in England, Australia or NZ - that's how they build their team! That's why they are going all the way and winning tournaments! We prefer the stardom of veterans & respecting/worshipping their glory more than winning cups!)

 

[RamLakhan]

Yes this is our main problem but I don't think on Indian pitch our batting collapsed .

That's why I bumped this thread. Just to make it understand that this can happen in a crucial knockout game (even in Indian Conditions!) I can even remember a Sri Lankan team blowing away us in Dharmashala not too long ago!

 

[RamLakhan]

Even Shreyas Iyer batted with a lot of intent and hunger when asked to bat at No.3.

 

[MP2011]

From Jadeja onwards batting quality dips drastically. And all bowlers cannot bat. Any top order collapse and India will be bundled out in no time. This will be the main reason India will be outgunned. Not Kohli or Rohit.

So if our top order collapses that won't be fault of Kohli & Rohit? Right!

 

[MP2011]

Kohli will not be an issue (in fact he will be on the positive side of things)

You yourself said something to this effect, we'll sleepwalk through league stages and getting to semis during this WC is no big deal.

In knockouts Kohli's record is extremely poor especially in ODIs. Do you still think he won't be an issue?

 

[MP2011]

Our problem is that we have batsmen who can't bowl at all, bowlers who can't bat at all and fake all rounders, who can neither bowl nor bat.

That'll prove to be our Achilles heel in this tournament.

 

[WengerOut]

So if our top order collapses that won't be fault of Kohli & Rohit? Right!

Law of averages means that a top order collapse is inevitable in a big tournament. That is why we have a late middle order. Indian top order might fail once or twice. My point is the late order will fail EVERYTIME.

 

[Ab Fan]

Our problem is that we have batsmen who can't bowl at all, bowlers who can't bat at all and fake all rounders, who can neither bowl nor bat.

That'll prove to be our Achilles heel in this tournament.

Hardik is your rescue man in that case.

 

[Mockingbird]

You yourself said something to this effect, we'll sleepwalk through league stages and getting to semis during this WC is no big deal.

In knockouts Kohli's record is extremely poor especially in ODIs. Do you still think he won't be an issue?

Let’s look first at the literal elephant in the room. Is Rohit Sharma’s record in knockout any better? If anything, Kohli has found his groove back, but Rohit is barely tottering along these days. Guy has put on a ton too, now lacks the fitness to convert a 50 into an 100 or even field.

Kohli is worth his weight in gold if you go by his recent performances against Pakistan in very high pressure matches.

 

[MP2011]

Let’s look first at the literal elephant in the room. Is Rohit Sharma’s record in knockout any better? If anything, Kohli has found his groove back, but Rohit is barely tottering along these days. Guy has put on a ton too, now lacks the fitness to convert a 50 into an 100 or even field.

Kohli is worth his weight in gold if you go by his recent performances against Pakistan in very high pressure matches.

Never said Rohit is any better in knockout games. Just that he is assured of a place in team due to him being captain.

If only we were playing a bilateral series against Pakistan I won't have any issues in Kohli being in XI. But there would be 8 more teams in this WC.

 

[MP2011]

Hardik is your rescue man in that case.

I'm concerned about his batting. Let's hope he manages it fine during the WC

 

[Mockingbird]

Never said Rohit is any better in knockout games. Just that he is assured of a place in team due to him being captain.

If only we were playing a bilateral series against Pakistan I won't have any issues in Kohli being in XI. But there would be 8 more teams in this WC

Rohit is no captain extraordinaire like Dhoni, he should be judged only basis his performances as a player. And looking at his record in the last couple of years, should be the first one out of the door. Can barely remember when was the last time he scored a century, but too much scrutiny of Kohli means that he gets away from flying under the radar.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

From Jadeja onwards batting quality dips drastically. And all bowlers cannot bat. Any top order collapse and India will be bundled out in no time. This will be the main reason India will be outgunned. Not Kohli or Rohit.

Batting quality is too high for that too happen. It'll need a huge upset for India not too win this WC.

Gill
Kuldeep
Bumrah

These 3 guys are unstoppable.

 

[giri26]

Hardik just scored an important fifty in the game against Pakistan when India was tottering in the Asia Cup. I think he is looking good with the bat and ball this time. Just need to make sure he does not get injured.

 

[gazza619]

@MenInG please can you consider closing such threads or change title as it only creates confusion in the context of ongoing series.