5 Reasons why you should be excited about the India-England ODI series

Amidst all the turmoil that surrounds BCCI and the emotional roller-coaster ride that Indian cricket is going through after MS Dhoni’s decision to step down as limited-overs captain, a cricket fan must be looking to break away from all that and take respite in a good game. Despite every reason there is for the excitement to diminish, this series looks promising because one has to admit that it will be a good fight between two teams that have bittersweet history and an underlying rivalry that has only gotten more interesting with time. The fact that India is about to step in without the best captain India had is both sad and intriguing, making it a series to look forward to. The last bilateral ODI series between India and England was a 5-match one in 2014, at England. India had sealed the series 3-1. India has had an upper hand over England in ODIs since 2011 as records suggest that they have won all three ODI series, at home and away, but it is for us to see if that can continue with so many changes. The previous series in 2014 saw Suresh Raina in great form as he bagged the Player of the series award. Ajinkya Rahane and Joe Root were the highest run getters for their teams with 192 runs and 163 runs respectively. As India heads towards the 3-match ODI series with a hangover from a long stint of successful Test cricket, here are five reasons to be excited about the upcoming IND v ENG ODI series: 1. Dhoni – unassailable wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni (Photo Source: Twitter) Dhoni’s future remains uncertain at the moment, but he’s likely to step into the game after two and a half months in this series. A lot will change when he steps in as a batsman without the responsibility of captaining but the mere thought of looking at Dhoni freely hitting all across the ground is a constant joy. Virat Kohli is set to take charge as captain following the footsteps of Dhoni. Since 2016 has not been the best of years for Dhoni, who scored 278 runs in 13 ODIs engulfed with speculation and criticism of his captaincy at various instances. But looks fitter and more athletic, faster between the wickets and has continued to stun us behind the stumps, this speaks volumes about how he is willing to take things a notch higher and probably justify this bold decision with some hard hitting up the order. We’ve seen Captain Cool and now we’ll see more of him as Dhoni, the unassailable wicketkeeper batsman. 2. Last ODI series for India before Champions Trophy ‘17 Team India. (Photo Source: BCCI) Since this is India’s last assignment before the Champions Trophy, the team will enter the series with the mindset of being on their A-game. We can expect it to be an excellent display of individual performances as well as good teamwork because players would like to show their caliber that can be handy for the team in the tournament. Individual contribution for the benefit of the team always fuels cricket excitement, like Amit Mishra’s 5/18 against NZ, Manish Pandey’s 104* vs Australia, KL Rahul’s 100* vs Zimbabwe to name a few noteworthy performances. It is also an opportunity for players to rubbish claims that India entirely relies on certain players and has the less recognized players also have the mettle to do well. 3. “Are they exploring new combinations or sticking with old ones?” Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/India Today Group/Getty Images) There are mixed speculations about Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being rested for the ODI series and also that they won’t because they will feature in the Champions Trophy and must perform in the only ODI series before that. It will be interesting to see who takes those spots also because Axar Patel won’t be available as the 3rd spinner due to a finger injury. With Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya down due to injury, there will be questions for selectors for fast bowlers. Who will open the batting if Rohit Sharma is not fit? Ajinkya Rahane will be back, but a shuffle in the batting order is likely to make him switch positions. The middle order in all probability will see changes but who all make it to the squad is likely to be a mixed bag of surprises and expected call-ups. Also read- What 2017 has in store for Indian Cricket – The year preview 4. Debutants/Comebacks Shahbaz Nadeem walks off the field after picking 7 wickets against Jharkhand. (Photo Source: Indian Express) The team is open to options and has vacant spots because of injuries and possible resting of players. Reports suggest that Shahbaz Nadeem and Kuldeep Yadav may interest the selectors for the spinner contingent because of an impressive display at domestic level. Suresh Raina or Yuvraj Singh will probably take the all-rounder spots. Ashish Nehra who was out of the game from 6 months due to injuries is now fit and eyeing a comeback. Karun Nair, after a stellar performance in Tests might land a spot in the ODI team as well. Though Manish Pandey did not have a great year apart from a match-winning knock at Sydney, his reputation as an impactful player will interest selectors. After impressing one and all with his triple ton Karun Nair deserves an opportunity in ODIs as well. Talks about Rishabh Pant standing a chance must be noted too. Dynamic selections are bound to cater to the fans’ anticipation. 5. Will Eoin Morgan be a relief as an English captain? England captain Eoin Morgan. (Photo by JON SUPER/AFP/Getty Images) The English Test team had to succumb to the No.1 Test Team and doubts about the Team and captain Alastair Cook followed. With captaincy woes and humiliating defeat surrounding the English fans, there will be a relief for them if Eoin Morgan can guide the team better in limited overs like he did in the ICC World T20 in India. It will also show a vivid picture of his tactics which will benefit India as England is set to host Champions Trophy. England currently stand at No. 5 in the ODI rankings and he will be looking to add some more points there before they set foot in their next series vs West Indies. Morgan is currently playing the BBL in Australia and will be in the right frame for the series. Written by Samreen Razzaqui

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5 Reasons why you should be excited about the India-England ODI series

5. Will Eoin Morgan be a relief as an English captain?

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