MS Dhoni have taken a 1-0 lead in the ODI series against England after their big victory against the hosts at Cardiff. The Men In Blue brought their ‘˜A-game’ to the fore with a clinical all-round display especially…
MS Dhoni have taken a 1-0 lead in the ODI series against England after their big victory against the hosts at Cardiff.
The Men In Blue brought their ‘A-game’ to the fore with a clinical all-round display especially from the likes of Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.
With that said, India now look to continue the winning momentum and take an unassailable 2-0 lead when they lock horns with England in the third one-dayer here on Saturday.
Having recorded his first century outside the sub-continent, southpaw Suresh Raina will look to carry on the same rich vein of form into the 3rd ODI. Much will be expected from spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who was the pick of the bowlers in the second ODI with a spell of 4-27.
As the action turns to Trent Bridge, the ‘ghosts’ of the infamous Ravindra Jadeja-James Anderson spat, might come to the fore. As and when the two teams walk out onto the pitch at Trent Bridge, there will be a different feel altogether. MS Dhoni and his merry men will feel have a point to prove whereas England would want to be recognised as a top ODI side.
Team India’s batting woes are no more an issue with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina coming to the party. With Rohit Sharma out for the series with an injury, Shikhar Dhawan will be without his dashing opening partner at the top.
The bowling performance has also gained an ascendance since the Test debacle.
However, the Trent Bridge pitch might not serve the pacers a great deal and it remains to be seen how the Indian pace department deal with these conditions. Prior to the Cardiff game, the exclusion of Umesh Yadav came as a surprise but with MS Dhoni might spark some changes into the playing eleven when the teams are announced.
Meanwhile, the English team is right in the middle of a storm from its former players.
The likes of Ian Botham, Graeme Swann and Michael Vaughan have come down heavily on the English preparations for the ODIs. With the World Cup in mind, Alastair Cook and his team put up a sorry performance at Cardiff and would look to turn things around at Trent Bridge.
The only bright spot for the hosts was the emergence of Alex Hales but the rest of the team simply failed to turn up. With the services of their talismanic bowler Stuart Broad, the English bowling department looks a bit frail. Even with James Anderson in the mix, the former seems to have perspired with the Test recursions.
When India gets on the winning mode, it brings on the ‘luck factor’ for them.
MS Dhoni knows that a series victory might boost the morale of the cricketers especially after the Test nightmare and after seeing the opposition in dismay, the heat is on the hosts now.
