Rain threat looms large

Kolkata: Their tails up after overcoming initial jolts to pull off an emphatic victory in the series opener against Australia, India would look to retain the momentum in the second One-Day International on Thursday despite the leaden eyed skies threatening to play spoilsport here at the Eden Gardens.

India were down in the dumps at 87/5 in Chennai, before young all-rounder Hardik Pandya (83) and seasoned campaigner MS Dhoni (79) upturned the script with an 118-run six wicket stand that helped the hosts post a challenging total, which the Kangaroos could not match up to in a rain-truncated chase.

The tourists, according to their former skipper Michael Clarke, have to win the second rubber in order to have any chance of taking the series. In order to do that, Smith's wards will need to improve on their death bowling which looked rather flat in Chennai conceding 83 runs in the last 10 overs.

If the track, mostly kept under covers because of the inclement weather, does not get sufficient light before the game, the wicket would be damp and could assist fast bowlers initially.

This could augur well for the visitors who have in their ranks Nathan Coulter-Nile, who bowled really well the other day, returning best innings figures of 3/44 which included the prize wicket of Virat Kohli who departed without troubling the scorers.

Eden Gardens is a familiar turf for Coulter-Nile, as he plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and exhibited exemplary form this season for the purple brigade.

In team news, the Aussies are likely too again miss the services of opener Aaron Finch who injured his calf muscle during training in Chennai.

Hilton Cartwright, who made his debut in the first ODI, is expected to keep his place with Travis Head batting at number four.
The hosts might give Ajinkya Rahane another chance to open the batting alongwith Rohit Sharma.