Follow UsIndia have primarily focused on Tests and T20Is over the last two and a half years, with the 50-over format taking a backseat. And, you can’t really blame them, as the ongoing World Test Championship and back-to-back T20 World Cups have garnered more attention. What’s more, the 2023 50-over World Cup will be played in India, meaning Rohit Sharma and Co. don’t have to rely on the World Cup Super League to automatically qualify for the showpiece event.
Hence, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, and some of the other big guns have missed quite a few ODIs in this period to keep themselves fit for the other two formats. India’s record in the 50-over format hasn’t been great since 2020. Amongst the top-10 ranked ODI teams, India have the third-worst winning percentage (47.6%) in this time frame. However, all the big guns are available for the three ODIs against England, starting Tuesday (July 12), and the team management would want to keep an eye on next year’s mega event.
Kohli's most-suited format
Of late, the former Indian skipper hasn’t been at his best in red-ball and T20 cricket, but when it comes to ODIs, the 33-year-old has nine 50-plus scores in his last 18 innings. Over 12,000 runs at an average of 58.07, studded with 43 centuries and 64 fifties, Kohli is arguably the best ODI batter of all time. This has always been his most-preferred format and the right-hander would want to use this series to regain his lost touch.
The 50-over format will also give him an opportunity to build his innings, something he is really good at but hasn’t been able to do in Tests and T20s for different reasons. You have fielders right under your nose in Test cricket, while the 20-over format is now all about going all guns blazing from the word go. However, with the field spread out in ODIs, Kohli will have the option of building his innings and India have enough firepower around him to make sure the scoring rate doesn’t take a hit. It’s been a while since we have seen Kohli touch the triple-figure mark and it would be ideal for him to break the jinx in the format he has dominated for more than a decade.
Dhawan can't take his foot off the pedal
It’s been a while since India have moved on from Shikhar Dhawan in Test cricket and T20Is but the left-handed opener is still an integral part of the ODI set-up. The 36-year-old is also going to captain India in West Indies in the absence of some regular players, and is also the highest run-getter for India in ODIs since 2020, but Dhawan still doesn’t have the option of taking his foot off the gas.
In this time period, the opener has slammed 766 runs in 15 innings at 54.71 and also has eight fifties to his name. Howbeit, just like Kohli, he hasn’t been able to convert any of his fifties into hundred and that’s exactly what he would try to do in England and West Indies. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan are already waiting in the wings, while the concerned people have also been talking about using Rishabh Pant as an opener, meaning Dhawan simply can’t afford any slip-ups
The return of Hardik Pandya
"My mindset doesn't take me too high, neither low. I have learnt to live neutral in life." The current version of Hardik Pandya is very calm, yet aggressive in all the right ways. The last few months have been exceptional for Pandya. Battling an injury-ravaged body, it was not easy for Pandya to return back to the game. His career was in jeopardy but he made a grand comeback by leading Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title and that too in their debut season. He also led India against Ireland and was also impressive in the T20I series against England. The focus now shifts to ODIs, a format Pandya has been away from for 12 months.
The ace all-rounder hasn’t played an ODI since July 2021 and the onus will be on the team management to take care of his workload. When it comes to limited-overs cricket, Pandya could fit into any side and India will have to make sure he is fully fit ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. With Ravindra Jadeja in the team, Rohit will have to make sure Pandya doesn’t bowl more than 4-5 overs in a game. When it comes to batting, the right-hander could bat anywhere in the middle order. He has the third-best strike rate (119.6) since 2019 (minimum 500 deliveries faced) and is an absolute game-changer.
In Pant, Suryakumar, Shreyas Iyer, Jadeja and Pandya, India have enough firepower in the middle order. In fact, three of them have a strike rate of more than 100, while Iyer and Jadeja are also not too far behind. Pant, Pandya and Jadeja are certain starters, while Suryakumar and Iyer will fight it out for that one remaining spot. The top-three batters are going to provide solidity, but when it will come to wreaking havoc, Pandya and Co. will be expected to compete with the likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.
Pick wickets, stop England’s formidable batting unit
India have the worst bowling average (38.6) and the second-worst strike rate (38.5) and balls/boundary (9.2) in ODIs since 2020. One of the key reasons why they were whitewashed in South Africa earlier this year was because they simply didn’t pick enough wickets. And, they will be up against a side that has “redefined batting” in white-ball cricket. England have the best scoring rate (6.9) in ODIs since 2021, and almost smoked 500 in a game against the Netherlands last month. England have the best scoring rate in powerplay (7.2) and middle overs (6.5) and the second-best in death overs (8.4) in this time frame.
The likes of Livingstone, Buttler, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Bairstow and Jason Roy all have a strike rate of above 100. The hosts didn’t have Joe Root, Stokes and Bairstow in the T20I series but all three of them are back for the ODIs. And, it will be interesting to see how the Indian bowlers tackle them. The last time India played an ODI series in England in 2018, Root hammered two centuries and almost single-handedly nullified the Yuzvendra Chahal-threat. Left-arm spinners Jadeja and Axar Patel are more defensive and the pressure will be on Chahal to go for wickets in the middle overs.
In the pace department, the oppositions generally play out Bumrah but the star paceman will have to find a way to pick up wickets with the new ball, something that Bhuvneshwar Kumar did in the T20Is. The Men in Blue have a horrible average of 70.1 and a strike rate of 74.1 in the powerplay and they can’t afford to do that against this English side. The only way to stop them is to keep taking wickets. Someone like Mohammed Shami or Arshdeep Singh could prove to be handy in the powerplay, while Prasidh Krishna could be used as an enforcer in the middle overs. No matter what happens, the battle between Indian bowlers and England batters will most likely decide the fate of the series.
India’s probable XI
Rohit Sharma ©, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami/Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.