Fresh off India’s thumping 4-1 series victory over England in the T20I series, attention now turns to the longer white-ball format as the two teams duke it out over three games ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy beginning later this month. The series provides a final chance for coaches Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum — both fairly fresh in international management in this format — to fine tune their combinations and their plans, and will host plenty of intrigue regarding selections and players who will miss out.
India’s combination is fairly set, with the top four unlikely to see any changes and only two frontline pacers meaning that six of the playing XI will likely play through the entire series. The questions begin to arise in the middle order and the spin bowling department, particularly the latter where five options in the squad gives Gambhir plenty to play with.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma reveals Varun Chakravarthy's fate for Champions Trophy after sudden selection for England ODIs
Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh will be the pacers to lead the line, but the spinners could see any three of Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and the late addition of Varun Chakravarthy. Of these, Kuldeep looks most dead-set to participate as he works his way back from injury.
Gambhir could opt for batting depth by playing two all-round spinners, but Varun’s entry to the ODI team suggests he could earn an ODI debut as well. The last spot might currently see Axar Patel as the favourite, with his bowling slightly outdoing Jadeja’s at the moment.
{{/usCountry}}Gambhir could opt for batting depth by playing two all-round spinners, but Varun’s entry to the ODI team suggests he could earn an ODI debut as well. The last spot might currently see Axar Patel as the favourite, with his bowling slightly outdoing Jadeja’s at the moment.
{{/usCountry}}Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer look certain to retain the top four after they fired on all cylinders at the World Cup, but Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya will fight it out for the two spots after them. Hardik’s all-round ability and presence as a third pacer means he is a must-play player for this team, which means the wicket-keepers will battle it out. KL Rahul could consider himself unfortunate, but Rishabh Pant’s ability to accelerate as well as his left handedness play into his favour to start with.
India vs England predicted XI, 1st ODI
Batters: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
Wicket-keeper: KL Rahul (wk)
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel
Spin bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Pace bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami