Follow UsIndia’s ongoing white-ball tour of England has gone on unexpected lines as of now. When two powerhouse nations lock horns, you expect quality cricket, high-scoring fireworks and close games. Barring the third T20I, which was a dead rubber, only one side has showcased quality in each of the other four white-ball games - two T20Is and the two ODIs, ultimately leading to one-sided games.
At least one team has collapsed with the bat every match. England were the culprit on the first three occasions, unable to handle the heat of India’s pace attack. As a result, they conceded the T20I series 1-2. But India’s debacle to 146 all out at Lord’s has kept the hosts and the series alive. On the last day of this compact tour, there is everything to play for, with the series on the line.
After losing the Test match in Birmingham, India have been the more dominant side in the white-ball leg of the tour. Hence, losing the ODI series would be no less than a heartbreak given they acquired the 1-0 lead in the series. Remember, in 2018 as well, they slipped to a 1-2 defeat in the ODI series after gaining the lead. England have not lost an ODI series at home since September 2020 and would not want to lose that record in the first series of the post-Eoin Morgan era.
England batting stars need to step up
In their last five white-ball games - including the T20Is - England have been bowled out for paltry scores like 148, 121 and 110. In the previous match, they managed to recover from 148/6 to post 246 on the board but it was another poor performance from the top-order.
Jason Roy scored 175 runs in three ODIs against the Netherlands last month but is stuck in a rut against India. He has struggled to put bat to ball against the swinging deliveries. Joe Root and Ben Stokes haven’t enjoyed a happy return to ODI cricket. Jonny Bairstow has looked in touch but without playing a fruitful innings. And the less said about Jos Buttler, the better.
England have averaged 16.7 in this ODI series with the bat, their lowest in a series at home in this century. A big reason is that the white ball has oddly swung more consistently than the red ball in the incumbent English cricket summer.
The hosts will need at least two of these aforementioned stars to turn up. In the current form, England will have high hopes from Root and Bairstow to get them across the finish line one more time this summer. Meanwhile, the others will be expected to bring the best out of their attacking instincts.
India’s fortunes not much different
The swinging ball will be a litmus Test for batters from both sides. For India, the concern lies around diminishing returns from the top-order. In eight ODIs this year, India’s top-three have averaged 31.1 runs per wicket.
Talking about Virat Kohli’s poor form is a broken record now. But given the standards he has set for himself leading to ‘the chase-master’ reputation, the argument stays relevant. This year, in ODIs, Kohli has averaged only 22.6 at a strike-rate of 74.2. The most worrying sign is his mode of dismissal in the second ODI at Lord’s. Kohli, for the nth time in this rut, edged a ball to the wicketkeeper that could have been left alone had he not committed to the stroke too early. It was just a repeat of his most basic mode of dismissal in Test cricket of late. If the ball shows any nip in Manchester, there is no doubt the England bowlers will try to nick him off behind the stumps again.
In a similar vein, Rohit Sharma will be on Reece Topley and David Willey’s radar. Rohit’s dismissal for a duck at Lord’s established yet again that he is still vulnerable to in-coming deliveries from left-arm pacers.
Rohit’s opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan has also been scratchy in this series. With his international career limited to ODI cricket, the sizeable intervals between matches can have an impact on the rhythm. Dhawan’s series numbers of 40 runs from 80 balls reflect the same.
Like England, India will also need one of their top three to step up. If anything, India will need it more. The middle-order - number four to seven - have averaged only 34 this year as compared to top three’s 31.1. In addition, India have a long tail in this series that begins from the number eight itself. These factors have been a pivotal factor behind India failing to chase targets between 200-299 thrice on three occasions this year.
Rohit, the skipper, has asked his batters to tackle pressure situations with a positive outlook. “It [top-order collapses] has happened for us on a few occasions now. That is where I want the guys to change their mindset a little bit and see if they can be a little positive and try and take the game on," he said after India were bowled out for 146 at Lord’s.
Probable XIs
The trio of Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson and Harry Brook will rejoin the squad on Sunday after the T20 Blast's Final Day. But England are expected to field an unchanged XI from the previous two games which didn't feature either of them. India can ponder replacing Prasidh Krishna with Shardul Thakur to have some batting at number eight. However, Thakur has done little with the bat this year to instill confidence in his secondary skill.
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Craig Overton, Brydon Carse, Reece Topley
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna