England vs India ODIs: Can Indian batsmen continue their run?
Indian batsmen have been lethal, till now, on their tour of UK. They have displayed their prowess in both the T20I series against Ireland and England. India defeated Ireland 2-0, before overcoming England 2-1. The interesting aspect was that most of the Indian batsmen were amongst the runs. But can 'Men in Blue' continue their run in the ODI series? Here we decode.
Rohit and Rahul have dazzled atop
Rohit Sharma played some serious brand of attacking cricket against England and scored a record-breaking T20I ton. He has often displayed his hunger to bat long and convert fifties into 'big' hundreds. KL Rahul, at number three, was brilliant and like Rohit, he slammed a match-winning ton. He has been enjoying form of his life, which, we expect to continue in ODIs against England.
Will Rahul continue at number 3?
Virat Kohli demoted himself to number four in the T20Is. He vacated his usual position for Rahul, who did not disappoint. Given Rahul's form, Kohli may be tempted to continue at number 4 in ODIs, which means Shreyas Iyer will sit out.
Virat Kohli the real asset of this side
Despite not doing well against Ireland, Kohli struck when it mattered the most. He ended up with 110 runs in three games against England. The manner in which he guided India's middle-order justified his slow starts. He played more like a 'builder' than a 'destroyer'. Kohli will look to carry the momentum in the ODIs. His role will be to stitch vital partnerships.
Dhoni and Raina are experienced campaigners
Suresh Raina saw his number three position being taken away in the T20Is against England. However, we expect him to find a place in Kohli's ODI XI. He would bat at number 5. MS Dhoni made the most of his limited opportunities in the T20Is to showcase that he can still finish. India need their these two experienced players to steady the ship.
Our view on India's batting chances
India will continue to play an attacking brand of cricket. They are expected to field the same batting line-up with all-rounder Hardik Pandya at number 7. He has shown his prowess with some whirlwind knocks. India's batting would give them an edge over Englishmen.
