After a convincing 4-0 Test win over England, India will be aiming to start 2017 on a good note, while facing the same opposition for a three-match ODI series.
India, which had a rather easy 2016, with 3-0 and 3-2 ODI victories over Zimbabwe and New Zealand, is now facing a tough challenge in form of Eoin Morgan’s men. The series also gives both the sides a sniff to improve their rankings as well. India, currently third at the ICC ODI rankings, will be looking for a 3-0 sweep, to reach one place ahead.
For England, the series win can ensure an entrance into the top three. The series will also see Virat Kohli taking over the leadership mantle from his predecessor MS Dhoni, after proving his mettle as the Test skipper.
Keeping in mind the Champions Trophy, to be played in the United Kingdom during June, both the sides will be looking to end their preparations on a positive note. But for the home side, the series will be nothing short of an acid test, keeping in mind that the series will be their last ODI outing before entering the tournament as the defending champions.
So the team management would like to solve some mazes, especially related to the player combinations. So here are the five questions, which the Indian cricketing fraternity will be looking to get answers during the ODI series:
Will Captain Kohli become the King Kohli in ODIs too?
The first ODI at Pune on this Sunday will officially mark the beginning of ‘Kohli-era ‘in limited overs format too. The Indian Test skipper had a brilliant 2016, with nine victories out of twelve games, thereby securing the number one status in team rankings.
But ODI captaincy is not an uncharted territory for Kohli, as he led the side during the tri-series at Caribbean in 2013, followed by the Asia Cup and Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2014, in Dhoni’s absence. Still the upcoming series will be a dual-edged sword for the Delhi lad, as he will not only be facing a quality opposition like England, but also will have to ensure that Captain Cool’s resignation won’t affect the team’s Champions Trophy preparations too much.
One must be eager to see how quickly Skipper Kohli converts his Test successes in ODIs, while maintaining his supremacy with the bat.
Here is one of the vintage Virat Kohli knocks, while captaining India, during the 2014 Sri Lanka series:
Will Yuvi-Mahi bring the brute force back in Indian batting?
The England ODIs also mark the return of Yuvraj Singh after more than three years. The stylish Punjab southpaw scored more than 600 runs in the 2016/17 Ranji season, thereby earning another comeback call, since playing the first ODI of India’s 2013 South Africa tour.
His fluent 56 against England at Mumbai, while representing the India-A, was a gentle reminder of his red-hot form. On the other hand, Dhoni’s 40 ball 68* at the same match has given his fans ample hope of witnessing more fireworks in coming weeks.
One shouldn’t be surprised, in case both the batters decide to return at their swashbuckling avatars, something which was familiar to the most of India’s ODI victories pre-2007 era.
In the meantime, enjoy the epic partnership between the duo which destroyed Pakistan eleven years earlier:
Who will be India’s lucky sixth?
With KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh filling the top five batting slots, the number six position may give Captain Kohli the problem of plenty. Going by the team management’s preference with the tried and tested ‘six batsman, five bowler’ formula, the slot may see a three-way competition from Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey.
If Jadhav and Pandey have solid domestic performances in their favour, then Rahane will be having two factors- his overall experience, along with solid batting and fielding techniques, to help his case.
Talking about Rahane's batting capability in ODIs, here is his quickfire 79* against Proteas in 2015 World Cup at MCG:
KL Rahul: The third Indian opener in making?
With injury sidelining regular opener Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul will be facing the English new-ball attack, along with Shikhar Dhawan. The Karnataka batsman, who scored close to 200 runs in his maiden ODI series against Zimbabwe last year, will be looking to grab the third opener’s slot, keeping the Champions Trophy in mind.
His T20 hundred against West Indies in the USA last year, or the quick fire 199 against England in the recently concluded Chennai Test have already given ample testimony of him being both aggressive and classy, if he settles himself quickly in.
Here is the knock which proved KL Rahul's utility as a limited overs batsman:
Will Indian new-ball attack prove its mettle ahead of the Champions Trophy?
The Indian pace trio of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be facing an English batting line-up which scored the highest ODI team total ever (444-5 against Pakistan last year).
The Eoin Morgan-led side, which has won five out of the seven ODI series played since the 2015 World Cup, will be itching to register a rare series win in the subcontinent. Perhaps the most worrying factor for Indian pace battery will be their recent performances against South Africa and Australia.
The challenges will be increasing only, as all the three matches will be day-night ones, bringing the dew factor as well. It will be a good series for skipper Kohli to assess whether his new ball attack is up to the task of pushing the opposition into the back foot; right from the game’s beginning, to give the spinners more breathing space in the middle overs.
Presenting the English batting line-up facing India in tomorrow's first ODI in Pune: