Daijiworld Media Network

Kolkata, Jan 3: Welcome to the 2nd ODI between India and Pakistan in Kolkata. India face a must-win situation to stay alive in the three match series. Pakistan, on the other hand, would want to seal the series here and not have any pressure when they move to Delhi for the final ODI. There was a mild drizzle in the morning but things seem to have improved since then. Though the conditions are slightly overcast, we are expecting a 12 PM start as scheduled earlier. Can India bounce back? Duncan Fletcher seems to agree, he is having an animated conversation in the team huddle. Well, let's find out.

India have won the toss and elected to field.

Misbah: When I last played a test match here, it was jam-packed and I got a hundred. I hope we'll have a similar crowd. We need to give our 100 percent. The ball might swing. The pitch is different. It may not be like the one we had in Chennai. This does not have as much moisture as that wicket. We are going with an unchanged side.

MS Dhoni: We're looking to bowl first, the wicket has been under the covers. The conditions are overcast and we want to exploit it. The capacity of the venue has gone down, but the people know their cricket well here. The outfield is very fast, and if you play good shots, you get your runs. It is a good venue to play cricket. It is a do or die situation for us. Last game, we had a bad first hour, we need to rectify it. We've got Jadeja in place of Rohit.

Pitch report: 'There might be a little bit of moisture in the wicket, the ground was covered earlier while it was drizzling. There are plenty of cracks. There is a bit of dampness too. Dew might make its presence felt in the second half, so it might be a good idea to field first, also because of the overcast conditions,' feels Ravi Shastri.

Teams:

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal(w), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan

India (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda

Preview

The first game of a three match ODI series is probably the most important one; a victory could give early momentum while a loss will suddenly lead you into a do-or-die situation. India found that out the hard way with a loss at Chennai and need a victory at Kolkata to keep the series alive. Well, the series will surely stay alive irrespective of the result at Kolkata, for it is an India-Pakistan series after all, but a loss against Pakistan is the last thing the hosts need at the start of the year. 2012 was a year to forget for India - they would want to change that in 2013.

India: India have a lot of questions to answer when it comes to team composition. Should they go in with only 4 bowlers? Should Rohit Sharma still play? Should Ajinkya Rahane replace Virender Sehwag? Going purely by form and logic, most of the answers to these questions are fairly straightforward but they are tough calls for MS Dhoni, especially ahead of a must win game. If India do choose to go with 5 bowlers, they have the option of picking leg spinner Amit Mishra, or uncapped medium pacer Shami Ahmed, but it is likely that Dhoni will go with Ravindra Jadeja given his ability with the bat and brilliance on the field. Whatever team the management chooses, it''s up to the top order to stand up and be counted. Their non-performance in the first ODI (India were 29/5 at one stage) was not spoken about much thanks to a stunning century from the skipper, but everyone will know that such knocks don't happen regularly. Virat Kohli's fitness is a concern after he injured himself while bowling, but all indications are that he will recover and take field.

Quite surprisingly, India's bowling is not as much a concern as their batting. The pacers have been impressive so far; Bhuvneshwar Kumar is proving to be the find of the series with his swing-bowling, while Ishant and Dinda have given him good support. However, a couple of drop catches (and probably poor umpiring) has proved them costly and India will have to fix that soon.

Pakistan: It's not too often that one gets to say this, but Pakistan look a settled unit in all departments. Nasir Jamshed's century in the first ODI should do wonders for the visitors as they seem to have found a steady opener who can bat long. Younis Khan, Misbah and Shoaib Malik provide a wealth of experience in the middle order while Kamran Akmal is an excellent option at number 7. The batting unit appears steady and there is no place for Umar Akmal; he wasn't a part of the team in the first ODI and Pakistan is likely to go in unchanged at Kolkata.

In the bowling line up, all the focus has been on Mohammad Irfan (his height, to be more specific) but it was fellow left arm pacer Junaid Khan who stole the show at Chepauk. His ability to get movement at good pace blew away the Indian top order before Dhoni's rescue act. With Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez forming the rest of the line up, Pakistan perhaps boast of the best bowling attack in limited overs cricket at the moment.

Final word: India has never defeated Pakistan in a 50 over game at Kolkata. The two sides have met three times at the Eden Gardens and India lost all three. India needs to change this small historical stat to keep the series alive till the last ODI at Delhi.

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