Published 13:50 IST, January 17th 2020
Ind vs Aus: SCA Stadium in Rajkot to become first stadium in India to get dome-like roof
Ind vs Aus The idea of building roof over stadium emerged after monsoon forced many matches to be washed out across the country in the last few seasons.
India and Australia will face each other in the 2nd ODI, which will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot on Friday. The Men in Blue will be looking to level the series after losing the 1st ODI in Mumbai. KS Bharat has been roped in as Rishabh Pant's replacement in the Indian squad for the second ODI against Australia. The 26-year-old has played 74 first-class matches, 51 List-A games and 43 T20s respectively.
Ind vs Aus: Saurashtra Cricket Association set to get a roof
According to a report in a leading Indian tabloid, the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) is getting ready to build the country's first cricket stadium with a roof. The idea of building the roof emerged after monsoon forced many matches to be washed out across the country in the last few seasons.
Speaking about the development, SCA president Jaydev Shah said that due to unpredictable monsoons, the association have seen a lot of matches—domestic and internationals—getting washed out, so they have had a look at the various kinds of roofs which they can go in for. One is a retractable one [like the one at Wimbledon in London] and the other is a permanent roof, resembling a dome. The association is working on the feasibility of both. He further added that this will be a very carefully taken decision as the costs involved are huge. The association will also be taking into account hosting the maximum number of international matches to make it a feasible investment. He also said that the association is in talks with a French company regarding the same.
India vs Australia: Squad updates ahead of 2nd ODI
Rishabh Pant suffered a concussion while batting at the Wankhede and is likely to miss the upcoming ODI. In the Australian set-up, D'Arcy Short was named as a replacement for Sean Abbott after the latter suffered a side-strain ahead of the series.
Ind vs Aus: Rajkot pitch report
The Rajkot pitch at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium is known to be a batting paradise. Expect similar conditions in the second ODI as a high-scoring encounter is on the cards. Due to small dimensions of the stadium and the possibility of dew kicking in the evening, Australia's Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to field first.
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Ind vs Aus: Australia wins the toss and opts to bowl first
While Australia has gone with the unchanged squad, India have made a couple of changes with Navdeep Saini and Manish Pandey coming back to the side for Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur.
Updated 13:50 IST, January 17th 2020