India vs England 2021: Combined Best XI Of The ODI Series

India and England fought it out well to bring the best action on the field and Virat Kohli’s men had won all three series including the T20s, ODIs, and Tests. It is a very big accomplishment for India as England has been one of the tough sides to beat and they have got so much quality in their side.

A much-needed win for India with the T20 Worldcup coming up this year and a lot of positives to take out of the series. The bench strength has been really good which India should be proud of and credit should be given to the support staff too who have worked really hard in the backstages. England fought tooth and nail and had never given up until the last moment. Here is the combined best XI of the ODI series.

Combined Best XI Of The ODI Series:

Shikhar Dhawan:

Shikhar Dhawan will the first opener for the combined XI as he has proved again that he is an excellent ODI player. After being dropped from the T20 series due to a poor outing, he deserved an extended run in the ODI format, and fortunately, he made full use of it in the first and the last ODI. His 98 off 106 balls in the first ODI helped India post a good total and he was awarded the man of the match for his performance.

He got out poorly in the second ODI for just 4 runs but made it up with another good knock in the final game with a 56 ball 67. The most impressive part was the intent he showed in the last game which was the need of the hour for India. He finished as one of the top run-getters in the series with 169 runs in three games.

Jonny Bairstow:

Jonny Bairstow bagged the man of the series award and he deserved it rightly after finishing as the top run-scorer in the series. He produced two blistering knocks and almost won the first ODI for England. He scored 94 off just 66 balls with seven sixes and six fours in the first ODI in a big run chase and his wicket was the turning point in the first game.

He continued his form into the second ODI with 124 runs knock off just 112 deliveries and stitched an important partnership with Ben Stokes to win the game for England. He hit seven sixes and 11 fours in the innings and smacked the Indian bowling to all parts.

Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli hit two half-centuries in the series but his century drought has continued which is a very rare sight considering his phenomenal consistency in limited-overs cricket. Despite not getting the centuries, he hit 56 runs in the first ODI off just 60 balls which was crucial at the moment.

He looked like he would get to his century in the second ODI, but perished after scoring 66 off 79 deliveries and luckily, he has been seeing the funny side of it. He was dismissed early for just 7 runs in the third ODI, but it is only a matter of time for the skipper to get back to his usual century mode but his contributions have been valuable in the two games.

Ben Stokes:

Ben Stokes’s innings in the second ODI will go down as one of the best clean hittings of the cricket ball as hit ten sixes in the innings. His knock had pushed India out of the game and it was too late for a comeback. He has batted at three in the absence of Joe Root and has done a decent job so far.

He was dismissed for just 1 run in the first ODI and made up for it by scoring a brilliant 99 run knock of just 52 deliveries. He smashed Kuldeep Yadav to all parts of the ground and was unfortunate not to get his a well deserved century. He started well in the third ODI until getting dismissed for 35 by a full toss from Natrajan which he hit straight into the hands of the deep square leg fielder.

KL Rahul:

KL Rahul had lots of pressure on him after his dismal show in the T20 series, but he silenced all his critics with a wonderful display of batting in the first and second ODIs. He formed an important partnership with Krunal Pandya in the first game when wickets fell at a cluster and scored 62 off just 43 balls with 4 sixes.

He continued his form with the bat and was also sent up to number four in the batting lineup. He scored a fine century of 108 runs off just 114 deliveries and took India to a good total despite ending up on the losing side. He was dismissed for just 7 runs in the third ODI but was the only century-maker for India in the series.

Rishabh Pant:

Rishabh Pant did not play the first game, but came as a replacement for Shreyas Iyer in the next two games and played two knocks that were of high class. He has been in excellent form in recent times and took calculated risks at the right time.

He hit a 40 ball 77 in the second ODI to propel the Indian score with seven sixes and three fours. He continued his rich form in the third ODI and top-scored for India with 78 runs of just 62 balls which paved the way for an Indian win. He deserved a century in the series and has shown a lot of maturity in recent times.

Sam Curran:

Sam Curran did show his excellent skills with the bat in the last game and he won the man of the match despite ending up on the losing side. England were nowhere near to the contest, but Sam Curran stood up and scored a brilliant 95 run not out of just 83 balls with three sixes and 9 fours.

It was unfortunate that he could not get his century or his team over the line but he deserved a lot of credit for his phenomenal hitting. He gets the nod ahead of Hardik Pandya as he provides a left-handed option and he can also bowl with the new ball.

Shardul Thakur:

Shardul Thakur has had a fantastic wicket-taking form in recent times and his three wickets in the first game had a big impact on the outcome of the match. He has a knack of producing breakthroughs at the right time and he has improved his bowling with a lot of variations added.

Shardul Thakur came to the party in the third ODI too with four wickets and he was the main architect behind India’s series win. He finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series and contributed with the bat in the last ODI to take the Indian total above the 300 landmark.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the best of Indian bowler and he showed a lot of control and experience through his bowling. He earned the respect of the batsman by bowling in the right lines and led the Indian bowling attack with 6 wickets to him.

He was a strong contender to get the man of the series award and had big impacts on the Indian win in the first and the third ODI. Bhuvneshwar looked at his very best in the series and picked up two crucial wickets in the powerplay in the final game that made England struggle to get going.

Adil Rashid:

Adil Rashid looked the best spinner out of all that played in the series and his battle against Virat Kohli was one of the best things in the series. He picked up just three wickets in the series which was very less according to his standards but brought breakthroughs at crucial times.

His figures were destroyed by Rishabh Pant’s phenomenal hitting but picked up the wickets of Kohli, Dhawan and Rohit in the series who are quality batsman and excellent players of spin. He would have liked to increase his tally in the wickets column.

Mark Wood:

Mark Wood’s express pace along with his control with the new ball has got the nudge ahead of impressive Indian quick Prasidh Krishna. Prasidh is relatively inexperienced and new to international cricket and will learn a lot once he settles into the team.

Wood was very impressed with the new ball and swing it at a good pace to trouble the Indian batsman. He picked up five wickets in the series in the two games he played and his impressive stint from the T20 series is set to continue in the long sight. He will form a great partnership with Archer at the other end once the latter arrives.