After the 1st ODI was a washout, Team India returns to action at Cardiff as they prepare to turn the tides against England in the 2nd one day international.
After the 1st ODI was a washout, Team India returns to action at Cardiff as they prepare to turn the tides against England in the 2nd one day international.
Before even a ball has been bowled, MS Dhoni and his men have been marred with controversies ever since they stepped their feet on the English soil.
The latest one involving their coach Duncan Fletcher but will be hoping that the spotlight shifts to cricket.
After those ‘boss’ comments didn’t go down well with the BCCI, MS Dhoni and Team India avoided a media interaction before the 2nd ODI. But Dhoni should shift focus entirely on the cricket field and leave the ‘talking matters’ behind. The World Cup is just six months away and the reigning champions have a point to prove against a determined English side.
In terms of on-field action there wasn’t much to take away from Bristol, except the pre-match practice on Sunday. The Indian skipper has full faith in his opening batsman, Rohit Sharma who has done a decent job. Shikhar Dhawan, who has had a miserable Test series, will have a work cut out as the duo look to avenge the Test defeat.
The new team director Ravi Shastri will have work cut out as the former India skipper tries to pep up the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja. The other department of Indian team that needs a look at is the slip practice. The slip fielding has been abysmal in the Tests and need a rework in the coming ODIs. MS Dhoni might not hand debuts to Karn Sharma and Sanju Samson but the two are quite a prospect going into the World Cup next year.
On the England front, the inclusion of Alex Hales looks a prospecting one. Hales who was drafted into the ODI squad for his country’s preparations for the 2015 ODI World Cup will be gunning to open on debut. Prior the ODI series, the likes of Graeme Swann and Michael Vaughan had slammed the English selectors for not picking Ravi Bopara and called for the sacking of Cook.
The 50-over format is the one that suits this young Indian team and with the Indian batsmen loaded with power hitters, the Men In Blue can go in as favourites over their English counterparts.
India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.
