Kolkata offers more hope for India
A preview of the second India-Pakistan ODI in Kolkata
Match facts
January 3, 2012Start time 1200 (0630 GMT)
Big Picture
India are again left needing to come from behind, third time in their last four series. A superb display of swing bowling by Junaid Khan crippled India's batting line-up on an overcast Chennai morning before MS Dhoni rescued his team with a fighting century. Such a procession of batsmen to the pavilion appears unlikely in Kolkata, where overhead conditions haven't been as bowler-friendly and the curator Prabir Mukherjee has promised a "typical one-day wicket with lots of runs" with the side batting first having an early advantage. But the visitors have been practicing hard to seal their team's first bilateral ODI series win over India since 2005.Form guide (Completed games, most recent first)
India: LWWWLPakistan: WLWLL
Players to watch
Shoaib Malik was initially picked only for the T20s but has been retained for the ODIs and played a good supporting hand in Chennai. He's had a good tour so far, guiding Pakistan to victory in the first T20 before giving Nasir Jamshed company in his team's successful chase on Sunday. A former Pakistan captain, Malik has struggled to keep his place in the side for a while but his experience has come in handy in this limited-overs series.Team news
Rohit Sharma's poor run of scores in ODIs continued in Chennai and India could consider replacing him with Ajinkya Rahane. However, there is uncertainty over Virat Kohli's availability, as he limped off the field after slipping while bowling in Chennai. MRI scans revealed no serious damage, but his condition continues to be monitored.Stats and Trivia
- Rohit Sharma is 22 short of reaching 2000 runs in ODIs.
- Kamran Akmal is 70 short of scoring 3000 in ODIs.
Quotes
Younis Khan on Junaid Khan
MS Dhoni says the new ODI rule, which permits only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the non-Powerplay overs, creates problems for teams that lack genuine allrounders
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo