Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Lord’s. The home of cricket, and hopefully, the home of a more competitive match than the first.
The one-sided nature of the first ODI has a silver lining, though. The hosts’ resolve is now being tested by arguably the best ODI side right now, and their credentials as a fine ODI side themselves will be put to the test against a quality side that is firing. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
Yes, I am talking about England. With Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar out at Trent Bridge, England benefited in the early stages to pick up seven an over in the first ten. England Cricket then tweeted about how many England could actually get. It was all looking rosy. But, in picturing a cyclist riding smoothly, then falling face first into the cement, they were well and truly second best for the rest of the game. Or, they were walking through the beautiful amazon (against Australia), and then tripped over a log named Kuldeep Yadav. A big response is needed today.
India sent a warning shot to not only England, but the other eight nations competing in next year’s World Cup at the same venue. Yes, conditions are warm and dry in the UK right now, but India have the resources and the know-how to do brilliantly in most conditions in this format. England have a wristspinner who is supposedly good in supposedly helpful conditions, don’t they? England now realise they are up against a quality outfit, one that should be considered favourites for next year’s World Cup.
Key to an England win
The manner of their defeat at Trent Bridge highlighted two key issues for England.
Of course, Kuldeep Yadav continues to give the batsmen nightmares, but what about the bowling lacking penetration? The truly great ODI sides can find ways to win when their batsmen don’t have the best of days, and England at the moment are falling short in that regard.
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow need to again get through the first ten overs, and then England need to be positive against the spinners. By positive I mean even before the ball is delivered. England need to watch the ball out of the hand like a hawk to read which way it will go, and then use positive footwork to counter the excellent spinners India have. Easier said than done, of course, but it’s a must.
Also, can their bowlers get into India’s top order? They managed to do so in the 2nd T20I after losing the first, and they need to do the same here.
Key to an India win
India were absolutely superb in the middle overs at Trent Bridge, led by Kuldeep Yadav.
In one of my greatest jokes ever (very proud), I claimed I could read the entire Harry Potter series quicker than England can read Kuldeep Yadav. The key for India is to continue to play to those England doubts – if they can get a wicket or two in the first ten overs with their seamers, the alarm bells will be ringing with the spinners yet to bowl.
Also, some of the strokeplay from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had me in awe of their quality. They are in excellent form, and if they, along with Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, can pile the pressure on England’s bowlers again, they can set or chase anything significant.
Possible teams
Sam Curran or Jake Ball could replace Mark Wood, who was more expensive than a gold digger on Thursday. Other than that, I see England sticking with the same team and backing them to do better this time. One player who will be better for the run is Ben Stokes, who struggled for his 50 at Trent Bridge. I joked that his fashion sense was off, showing up to Trent Bridge in his whites. However, not doubting his class!
England possible XI: 1. Jason Roy, 2. Jonny Bairstow, 3. Joe Root, 4. Eoin Morgan (c), 5. Ben Stokes, 6. Jos Buttler (wk), 7. Moeen Ali, 8. David Willey, 9. Adil Rashid, 10. Liam Plunkett, 11. Mark Wood/Jake Ball
For India, the one change they could make is Bhuvneshwar Kumar coming back after a back complaint. He would most probably replace Siddarth Kaul.
India possible XI: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. KL Rahul, 5. Suresh Raina, 6. MS Dhoni (wk), 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul, 9. Umesh Yadav, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Kuldeep Yadav
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| I joked Ben Stokes showed up in the 1st ODI in his white clothing |
Stats and Facts
- The last ODI bilateral series lost (excluding one off match v Scotland) was against India in January 2017. They have won seven straight since then.
- If India win this clash, it will be their tenth straight bilateral ODI series triumph.
- Kuldeep Yadav picked up the fourth best figures by an Indian in ODIs (6/25).
- MS Dhoni still needs 33 runs to get to 10,000 ODI runs. I will stand and applaud in my living room when this happens.
- Jos Buttler has crossed 50 in 12 of his last 19 innings across all formats (Rajasthan Royals T20s, Tests, ODIs, T20Is). Incredible player.
Prediction
England have to improve ten-fold if they are to turn things around here. They are capable, but India are on fire right now and I back them to win and take the series today.
As always, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading!
