India v Afghanistan, 2nd ODI Live: The second one dayer between the two sides is beginning right now in Lucknow where the guest won the toss and decided to bowl. It was a memorable occasion for young Indian pacer Prince Yadav as he received an ODI cap on his debut at the international cricket ground in front of the home crowd.
India were forced to make three alterations to their playing XI after winning the opening game in the series. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and spinner Kuldeep Yadav also joined the side with Prince Youghraj. Captain Shubman Gill also said that Nitish Kumar Reddy had been ruled out with a sore left thigh, while Harsh Dubey and Prasidh Krishna missed out.
Prince Yadav has had a taste of the Lucknow conditions having played for IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants in the last two seasons. Being an expert at Ekana Stadium should ease his transition to the international game.
Batters Darwish Rasooli was given an ODI debut as Afghanistan too shuffled their side. The team included spinner Nangeyalia Kharote and pacer Bilal Sami. Among the top players who missed was seasoned all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who was sick and Azmatullah Omarzai ruled out after injuring in training. Changes were also made for fast bowler Ziaur Rahman.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said the pitch looked fresh and could offer assistance to spinners, especially in the first innings. He expressed confidence that his team had learned valuable lessons from the opening ODI, where they struggled to build partnerships and eventually lost by seven wickets in a rain-shortened contest.
The conditions in Lucknow present a stark contrast to those in Dharamsala, where the first ODI was played. With temperatures expected to reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius, match officials scheduled three drinks breaks during the opening innings to help players cope with the intense heat.
Afghanistan are trailing the three-match series 0-1 and will be looking to bounce back. With one eye on new boy Prince Yadav, who will begin his international career against India after making debut and that’s how India would look to win another match and secure the series.
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