India's Best Predicted Playing XI For The 1st ODI Against England

After a brilliant win against England in the final T20, India has won the five-match series 3-2 and will be heading to Pune for an exciting three-match ODI series. England is the current world champion and deserves to be the number one team in the ICC rankings as they have dominated thoroughly in the shorter format.

Virat Kohli will never go down with a fight and he looks to have found his rhythm back after a man of the series knocks in the T20 series. England will be up for the challenge as this is their best chance to win after losing the test series as well as the T20 series now. India has a lot of young faces in the squad too and here is India’s predicted XI for the 1st ODI against England.

India’s Best Predicted Playing XI For The 1st ODI Against England:

Shikhar Dhawan:

India will like to start the series with a left-right combination at the top of the order and the Dhawan-Rohit pair has been amazing over the years. Dhawan was dropped after the first T20 and he will be aware that he needs to put up runs to retain his place in the squad. His overall numbers in the format have been phenomenal and this is a format he will cherish as he has really well in the past.

Rohit Sharma (VC):

Rohit Sharma is the vice-captain of the side and he will surely be one of the first names on the team sheet. He is a world-class batsman and produced a brilliant display of batting in the final T20 game with 64 runs off just 34 deliveries. His calmness in the field as a vice-captain has gone unnoticed most of the time and his numbers in the format are amazing too.

Virat Kohli(C):

Virat Kohli is a match-winner on any day and he has marshalled his troops to perfection so far in the T20 series as well as in test format. He is the number one batsman in the format and has proved to be very effective for India averaging nearly 60. He always brings out the best in him and does take a lot of pride in representing the country which gives him a lot of love and respect.

Shreyas Iyer:

Shreyas Iyer has been the chosen number four for India in the ODI format and he has played some crucial knocks at times when India has been struggling. It is still early days for him but has shown a lot of maturity in the T20 series as well when the team needed him the most. With stiff competition from Suryakumar Yadav, he will have to perform consistently to keep his place.

Rishabh Pant:

Rishabh Pant will be back in the ODI setup after missing out in the ODI series against Australia and this will be the best time for him to prove his credentials. He has done a decent job in the T20 series with two dashing knocks and the fact that he can take the game away from the opponent in quick time will work in his favour. He will be replacing KL Rahul in the side as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Hardik Pandya:

Hardik Pandya is a good enough batsman to bat at six and he has shown that in the ODI series against Australia. He propelled the Indian score to a large number most of the times and he has been in good form in the T20 series too. His bowling has been praised by the experts and the Indian management were very happy with how he has gone until now. He will have to bowl six to eight overs in the ODI format too.

Krunal Pandya:

Krunal Pandya is back on the international side after some consistent performances recently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and he is expected to play the role of Ravindra Jadeja in the side. This will be a big opportunity for him to cement his place in the side as he can chip in with 10 overs and can bat anywhere in the lineup.

Shardul Thakur:

Shardul Thakur’s recent performances in the T20 series will certainly put his name above in the pecking order and his ability to take wickets despite being expensive will be the need of the hour for India. To add to that, he can bat in the lower order as well which will be welcomed by the Indian management and he will play a big part in the coming years.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is returning to the Indian ODI squad after a long injury break and his return to the T20 series was outstanding. He bowled brilliantly in the final T20 game and was awarded the man of the match for his performance of 2 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs in a high scoring game. He will lead the Indian pace attack in absence of Bumrah and Shami on the side.

Kuldeep Yadav:

Kuldeep Yadav did a good job in his last ODI game against Australia and he will be preferred ahead of Chahal who has gone for plenty in the last few matches. Kuldeep is a wicket-taking bowler and Kohli must back him to come good after benching him on most occasions in the test series. Kuldeep needs to prove a point too as he hasn’t had much game practice in the last few months despite travelling with the team.

T Natarajan:

Out of the three fast bowling options available, Natarajan looks the best option as he has done well in the limited opportunities he has got. He played in the final T20 game against England and bowled really well in the death overs to bring back the game in India’s favour. He can hit the yorkers as well and will be a handy option for India in the absence of Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will get their chances soon.