All eyes on Kohli, Rohit as hosts out to seal series in 2nd ODI

Update: 2025-10-22 18:08 GMT

Adelaide: The Indian team’s heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks here on Thursday.

The opening ODI of the three-match rubber was a forgettable affair for India with multiple stoppages at Perth that affected the momentum of their batting unit, eventually leading to a seven-wicket loss.

The bowling unit also failed to impress but to be fair to the likes Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel, the batters gave them only 136 to defend.

The challenges at the Adelaide Oval won’t be any different with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood once again set to ask probing questions down that “corridor of uncertainty”, relentlessly. With the Australian summer just about starting, there would be bounce and lateral movement on the country’s fresh tracks, combining for conditions that can deflate the best in the business.

For the home team, last match’s hero left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann has been released and seasoned leg-break bowler Adam Zampa is back after attending the birth of his child along with a fit-again Alex Carey, who was playing a Sheffield Shield game.

With a talent like Yashasvi Jaiswal warming the bench, there is enormous pressure on Rohit Sharma to perform and the former skipper arrived at the Adelaide Oval practice arena at least 45 minutes before some of the members joined him for an optional net session.

And the only person from the coaching staff who was present at the nets was head coach Gautam Gambhir. He was accompanied by two throw-down specialists -- Dayanand Garani and Raghavendra. In fact, the first net where Rohit entered was damp and the throw-down deliveries were just flying. 

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