IND v ENG, 1st ODI: Brits hope to erase Test heartache against India at Pune

As India takes on England in the first ODI at Pune, there are a few things that one needs to keep in mind prior to the start of the match. Of course, one will definitely consider the massive news that has come recently with MS Dhoni giving up captaincy. Moreover, while the world awaits the new leader for the Men In Blue, there is also the other side of the coin with the fact that England had a bad end to the year.

Eoin Morgan certainly has his back to the wall as he pines for some solace for the England cricket team in the near future. What will excite Morgan is the fact that the openers are in fine form as we saw in the practice games. However, on a dry wicket in Pune, it remains to be seen what is going to happen.

Prelude

The prelude to the encounter sees the extremes as far as both sides are concerned. While England are languishing quite badly at the moment following their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the Indians a few months back, the Indians have seemingly been unstoppable. The juggernaut has moved onward and upward and now, there has also seemingly been a change of guard. Virat Kohli’s exuberance in the Test matches may well have rubbed off on the team and now, it would seem as though he is ready to lead them in the On-Dayers.

The practice matches cannot certainly be used as a metric, but the fact of the matter remains that some of the England performances were quite brilliant.

Also read- Dhoni is one of the most intelligent cricketers around: Virat Kohli

A team full of leaders

As mentioned previously, the Indian squad is a list full of captains. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepping down from his post as skipper, his argument would possibly be the fact that he is giving his successor Virat Kohli time to build the side for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. However, with the future out of the way, there is also the small matter of his induction into the side, something that Dhoni will keenly look into.

However, the team is a team certainly full of leaders. Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh are all clearly leaders in the squad filled out by the Indian board. Moreover, it would also seem as though the New Year break has seen some of the players return back into the fold as well with the Indian team selection an exciting one to see.

Redemption atop Morgan’s priority list

England’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of India in the previously concluded Test series has been nothing short of catastrophic. This has also seen the likes of Alastair Cook come under a considerable amount of flak following his defeat as well as hinting speculation over his resignation. However, with all that out of the way, redemption will be the first thing on the mind of Eoin Morgan as he looks to rally his troops in the first ODI against India.

India

The selection for the Indians will e quite a tricky one with a lot of players making their way back into the side. KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, and Kedar Jadhav will be aiming for a return into the side as will Ajinkya Rahane. The latter was impressive in the second practice match against England wherein he smashed an impressive 91. With Buhneshwar Kumar also back, it will be hard to leave out someone like Jasprit Bumrah who has been impressive of late. With a lot of speculation on the cards, it remains to be seen what happens on the day.

England

While the Indians will have their heads intertwined with their selection for the ODI, England will have a relatively easier time to name their squad. The only speculation will be the participation of Ben Stokes. The latter has been in and out of the ODI side and with David Willey lurking in the horizon, the latter may very well be a decent option. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are expected to form the spin duo with Liam Dawson expected to miss out.

Probable XI

India: 

Virat Kohli (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Yuvraj Singh/Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja

England: 

Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson/Adil Rashid, Jake Ball, David Willey

StAttack

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni requires 64 runs to complete 9000 runs in ODI cricket. When it comes to wicketkeeper-batsmen with the most number of runs, only Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist have more runs.

2. Moeen Ali requires 58 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs. Ali also requires seven wickets to complete 50 wickets.

3. Only one ODI has been played at this venue. Australia clinched a 72-run win all those years ago in 2013.