Unless England arrest their alarming slide, which began in Antigua, continued in Mumbai, and plunged to new depths in Rajkot, they are in danger of being steamrolled by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s clinical outfit. The positive for England is that, after the 158-run loss in the first one-dayer, it will be relatively easier for them to improve, while India will be challenged to reproduce a performance as devastating as the one in Rajkot.
There was uncertainty on Sunday over the fitness of two Indian players – Ishant Sharma and Yuvraj. Ishant injured his ankle during the Test series against Australia and missed the first ODI in Rajkot. Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the fast bowler would almost certainly miss Monday’s game because it would give him a period of five to seven days to recover. Yuvraj had trouble with his back during his century in Rajkot and, although a local doctor said there was no internal injury, his fitness will be assessed on the morning of the game. If Yuvraj is unavailable, Virat Kohli is likely to be his replacement.
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