back icon

News

India vs England, 1st ODI: Fantasy Preview

article_imageFANTASY
Last updated on 22 Mar 2021 | 10:23 AM
Follow Us
India vs England, 1st ODI: Fantasy Preview

Here are few tips that could help in creating the fantasy team for the first ODI between India and England

With the World Test Championship finals sealed and the dress rehearsal for the upcoming T20 World Cup done and dusted, England’s 2021 tour of India of India has reached its final leg - the three-match ODI series. All the three games are staged in Pune’s MCA (Maharashtra Cricket Association) stadium. 

India have the upper hand in overall record, winning 53 out of the 100 ODIs between the two countries. England, however, have been dominant in recent times. 

Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 100 | IND – 53 wins | ENG – 42 wins

Last five matches: IND – 1 win | ENG – 4 wins

Ground Details and Team Combination

The MCA Stadium has not hosted many games of late. The upcoming ODI series opener will only be the fifth ODI at the venue overall and the first since 2018. The average run-rate in those four games, dated since 2013, has been 5.7, a number in favor of the batsman. 

On the bowling front, the pacers have a higher wicket-per-innings ratio of 5.3 since they operate in the death overs. However, spinner ratio of 2.5 wickets per innings is less than half of pacers’ 5.3. Hence, top-order batsmen with pace bowlers should be the way to go for this game. 

Suggested Team


While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing you own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we have come up with six different teams the could fetch crucial points.

Captain Selection

Going by his standards, Virat Kohli underwent a barren patch 2020 onwards, the only year of his international career where he did not score a hundred. He was restricted by inopportune dismissals, some good balls and run-outs. A number of ducks in the first quarter of 2021 hinted at an extended lean patch but the India skipper overcame all obstacles in the T20I series. Kohli amassed three scores in excess of 70, staying unbeaten on all three occasions and went on to clinch the man-of-the-series award. That is a good suggestion that he is back in form and is your best to claim double points from him by assigning him as the captain of your Fantasy XI. 

Our Criclytics player projection predicts Kohli could score 21-54 runs in this match

X-Factors

It has been over a year since Rohit Sharma batted in an ODI game but he is still amongst the top five run-scorers in the format since 2019. He has scored 1,661 runs at an average of 57.3, including eight hundreds during this period. While those numbers may seem like an event in distant past, Rohit has showcased he is carrying the form to succeed irrespective of the format. He was the highest run-scorer for India during the Test series against England and then smashed an effortless 64 in the fifth T20I. Players of such class cannot be ignored and Rohit 

Our Criclytics player projection predicts Rohit could score 21-54 runs in this match

Mark Wood has been the joint second-highest wicket-taking pacer for England in ODIs since 2019. His strike-rate of 30.3 balls per wicket for his 30 scalps is the best for any England bowler in this time frame. With Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes rested, Wood is the spearhead of England’s pace attack in this series. He showed he is up for the challenge through a number of breathtaking new ball spells in the T20s, picking five wickets in four games. In rhythm and with the opportunities at his disposal, the right-arm seamer must be an automatic selection in your XI.

Our Criclytics player projection predicts Wood could pick 0-1 wickets in this match

Jonny Bairstow is the highest run-scorer for England in ODIs since 2019, 149 runs ahead of the second place Eoin Morgan. Bairstow seemed like a fish out of water in the Tests but relatively comfortable in the T20Is. ODIs have been his best format, where he has cemented his spot as an opener and will take that slot in the first ODI. 

Our Criclytics player projection predicts Bairstow could score 22-55 runs in this match

Related Article

Loader