India vs England, 2nd ODI: Preview, probable XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report

India will take on England in the second ODI of the three-match series on Thursday, 25th March, at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The hosts won the first game by a margin of 66 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Batting first, India built up pace after a sedate opening partnership, with Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan stitching together a 105-run stand for the second wicket. However, the hosts kept losing wickets after Kohli's dismissal. Dhawan missed out on a well-deserved century after getting out for 98. However, KL Rahul, who came in to bat at No.5, joined hands with debutant Krunal Pandya to resurrect India's innings.

Krunal, in particular, took the attack to the England bowlers right from the start and scored the fastest ODI half-century by a debutant. Rahul also found his timing after a tentative start, remaining unbeaten on 62 off 43 balls. The duo added 112 runs in just 57 balls for the sixth wicket, taking India's total to 317/5.

In reply, the England openers absolutely demolished the Indian bowlers and the visitors were 131/0 at the end of the 14th over. However, a super spell from debutant Prasidh Krishna saw England lose wickets at regular intervals.

Shardul Thakur was also impressive, getting rid of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, and Eoin Morgan. England were eventually bowled out for 251 by the 43rd over, a collapse of epic proportions.

Both teams have injury concerns heading into the second ODI. England will likely be without skipper Eoin Morgan, who split the webbing in his right hand, and Sam Billings, who had a sprained collarbone. India, meanwhile, lost Shreyas Iyer to a shoulder injury. Rohit Sharma also suffered a blow to his arm, but he's likely to be fit in time for the second ODI.

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Match Details

Date: March 25, 2021 (Thursday).

Time: 01:30 PM (IST), 08:00 AM (GMT).

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.

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Weather Report

It should be a hot and sunny day in Pune, with no rain interruptions expected. The average temperature will be around 36 degrees Celsius.

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Pitch Report

The wicket at the MCA stadium certainly had something in it for the pacers, with the ball zipping around for both teams. Although the spinners didn't taste much success, there was some turn on offer too. The pitch favored the batsmen and another high-scoring game is expected on Thursday.

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Predicted XIs

India

Krunal Pandya reached his half-century in just 26 balls.

While Suryakumar Yadav is likely to replace the injured Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal could come in place of Kuldeep Yadav. But India might opt to put their weight behind Kuldeep and give him another opportunity.

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (C), Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, and Yuzvendra Chahal/ Kuldeep Yadav.

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England

Bairstow and Roy got England off to an absolute flyer of a start.

England might have to make a couple of changes to their playing XI, with both Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings suffering injuries. Liam Livingstone should come in for Billings, with Dawid Malan likely to be called up from the reserves to replace Morgan if the skipper isn't fit. Jos Buttler will lead the visitors in Morgan's absence.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan/ Dawid Malan, Sam Billings/ Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler (C/WK), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid.

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Match Prediction

A confident Team India are expected to beat England, who have some middle-order issues to resolve.

Prediction: India to win.

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TV and live streaming details

TV: Star Sports Network.

Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.