India's predicted playing XI for the 2nd ODI vs England | February 9, 2025

India and England will face off in the second ODI of the three-match series in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. The Men in Blue currently hold a 1-0 lead, having beaten the visitors fairly convincingly in the series opener in Nagpur.

Virat Kohli, who missed the opening ODI with a knee issue, has reportedly recovered and is available for selection. The superstar batter is likely to come back into the fold, but who he will replace is a question that doesn't have a clear answer. India could make a couple of changes in other departments as well.

India’s squad for the ODI series against England: Rohit Sharma (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.

On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for the second ODI against England.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Yashasvi Jaiswal

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Shreyas Iyer revealed that he was set to sit the previous ODI out, meaning that India wanted to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma even if Virat Kohli was fit. While Jaiswal failed to deliver on debut and Shreyas notched up an aggressive half-century, the hosts can't afford to change their plans based on one match.

Jaiswal could thus continue at the top of the order, with Shreyas dropping back to the bench despite no fault of his own. Rohit, short of runs and confidence, will need to somehow fashion a meaningful score.

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Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel

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Shubman Gill, who seemed to be in excellent nick during the previous ODI, could slot in at either No. 3 or No. 4. Following Gill and Kohli, the usual middle order of KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja should follow. Rahul's place is under slight threat from Rishabh Pant, but he should survive another game at least.

Axar Patel did well with both bat and ball in the first ODI and should retain his place in the side. The left-hander is likely to be used as a floater in the middle order, keeping the likes of Washington Sundar out.

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Lower Order: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami

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Kuldeep Yadav played his first game back from a long-standing injury, and while he picked up one wicket, he wasn't in his best rhythm. That will come with time, and the spinner is likely to be given all three matches in this series if he is fit.

Varun Chakaravarthy needs to be tried out at some point against England, but the second ODI might not be the match where he makes his debut in the format given Kuldeep's situation.

Harshit Rana made his ODI debut in the previous game and did well, but India are likely to revert to their first-choice pace pairing of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami.