India has lost another toss and been put into bat by Australia in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday (October 23). While the home side made three changes, India were unchanged for the fixture with wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav once again sidelined from the playing XI.
However, this wasn't an unexpected decision as mentioned in our match preview as the conditions in Adelaide could have been a factor against him being excluded once more.
Peculiarity of Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval is one of the best grounds in Australia for strokeplay. The pitches are not dead flat but there is even pace and bounce, meaning that batters can make merry once they negotiate the new-ball. The key aspect, however, is regarding the uneven dimensions of the ground.
The square dimensions of the ground are very, very short while the straight boundaries are relatively longer. This means that playing spinners at this ground, especially attacking ones, are a huge risk. Even the mishits can clear the fence square of the wicket and it is not like the pitch has a lot of help for the spinners either.
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Pitch nature
It is early season in Australia and the pitches will generally be seamer-friendly as they are still fresh. There will be some moisture, although the Adelaide Oval groundsmen used a unique UV light technology to dry the surface. Nevertheless, the surface will be a lot more seamer friendly with hardly anything for the spinners.
Defensive spinners a better option
When there isn't much on offer for spinners, it is always better to go with defensive spinners. India has two of them, both all-rounders, in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Both can operate smartly and try to keep the runs down, as opposed to Kuldeep whose natural style is to look for wickets which can backfire at this ground, at least in early season.
Therefore, tactically, it was the right move to persist with the same bowling combination, especially since the opening game was a shortened game due to rain.
