Tour game: India face Kent in tune-up for ODIs

Tour game: India face Kent in tune-up for ODIs
Hove: With finally a win in their bag, Team India will now be up against Kent on Friday, in their second tour match and will be hoping to continue their winning run before the real action begins on August 31.
After a dismal Test series, Team India finally managed a win in England as they rode on the fifties by Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel to defeat Sussex by 6 wickets on Thursday.

Against Kent, India will be still without their opening batsman Gautam Gambhir who is reportedly still suffering from blurred vision after suffering a concussion during the fourth and final Test against England. Fitness doubt still remains for fast bowler Praveen Kumar and he might also have to sit out. If things improve dramatically over the next couple of days, the duo would be hoping to make themselves available for one-day game against Leicestershire on August 29.
Match against Kent would be another opportunity for the team to give their young players opportunity to get in to the groove of the things. India will most likely extend that privilege to the others who haven't made the cut yet. And among them would be the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Varun Aaron.
Given the injury to Gambhir, there are chances that India might look for a regular opener in the ODI format and allow, Dravid to come in at one down. If that does happen, then they have to choose from Parthiv Patel and Rahane. While Parthiv did well in the game against Sussex, Rahane might too get a chance.
Touted as one of the fastest bowler around, it would be a good opportunity for Aaron to give a run. Should he play, there will be more eyes on the speed gun than his bowling figures.
Sachin Tendulkar alongwith skipper M S Dhoni are expected to sit out the game, while Dravid may also prefer to be on the sidelines to make sure that he gets enough rest on what has so far been a very tiring tour for him.