Australia vs India 2019: 3 Changes India need to make for the 2nd ODI

#2 Play Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal would be a genuine wicket-taking option in the middle overs

Yuzvendra Chahal’s place in the eleven seemed to be forged in steel till the Asia Cup. However, an injury to Pandya coupled with Jadeja’s resurgence has seen the leg-spinner on the periphery recently.

At the SCG, India failed to make deep inroads into the Australian batting-line in the middle phases. Though they got the better of Marsh and Khawaja, they still left themselves with a lot to do in the death overs.

The Aussies eventually scored 93 runs in the final ten overs and posted a total which was just beyond India’s reach. However, had India been a little more proactive in the middle overs, the possibility of such an onslaught would’ve reduced considerably.

Chahal is a genuine wicket-taker and very rarely finishes a match without a wicket in his bag. Additionally, his leg-spin complements Kuldeep’s trickery perfectly as the pair don’t let the opposition get on top and even when they try to do so, the batsmen invariably perish.

Moreover, the Aussie batsmen are highly susceptible against wrist spin with their troubles against Shadab Khan and Adil Rashid driving home the fact.

In Pandya’s absence, the inclusion of Chahal would require at least a couple of changes to the team. Whether they bring in Vijay Shankar to be the all-rounder and play Chahal as the second spinner or add the latter as a third spinner is anyone’s guess right.

Yet, one just gets the feeling that if India are to topple the Australians at Adelaide, a reunion of the ‘spin twins’ is a must.