India vs England ODI series 2017: Combined XI

For more than one reason, the India-England series will be a mouth-watering contest, and a treat for fans of either side. For the Indian team followers, it’ll surely take some time to get used to the fact that MS Dhoni, the darling of the masses, won’t be walking out for the toss again. Under the tutelage of the newly crowned skipper, the Men in Blue will stake claims for supremacy after enjoying a fruitful 2016. Either team consists of a balanced mix of proven performers and future superstars, making this a series to look out for. Here is a combined XI from both sides:

Openers

Alex Hales

Having undergone a fruitful 2016, Alex Hales has sealed at least one opener’s slot in the English ODI team after a string of solid performances at the top. He returns to the line-up after having given the Bangladesh tour a miss, and will be raring to make his presence felt on the subcontinent wickets. His 171 against Pakistan, the highest score by an English batsman in ODIs, highlighted his prowess of dismantling attacks at the top of the order, and the team will be banking on him to provide the fireworks in the initial overs.

Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan can turn out to be the ideal partner for Hales, with his caution mixed aggressive approach in ODIs to rack up runs in a steady manner. He might have to fight for the spot, with a three-way battle between KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane and him. With Rahane scoring 91 in the warm-up, he has made a bigger claim for an opening slot, but Dhawan’s ability to split gaps in the opening overs will work to his advantage.

Middle order

Virat Kohli

A no-brainer at No.3, Kohli’s challenge as a batsman will increase manifold, with the added burden of captaincy, now with Dhoni stepping down from both the limited-overs formats. However, given how well he has performed in the whites since being given the Test captaincy, Kohli is expected to better himself in the new Indian jersey as well.

The right-hand bat had a sensational 2016, breaking into the top-5 in all three formats. Four centuries in the IPL and three double hundreds in Tests are part of a consistent run that doesn’t seem to end.

Joe Root

Root reunited with the England squad after flying back post the birth of his newborn son, having taken a paternity leave to be beside his fiance Carrie. He couldn’t be part of the two warm-up games, but is expected to barge his way into the playing XI, mostly at his preferred No.3 spot.

Over the years, he has grown from strength to strength, as was evident during his performance in all formats last year, where he averaged more than 60, with 2 hundreds and 6 fifties to his credit.

MS Dhoni

Things have changed, but hopefully, we’ll get to see the Dhoni of old, now with the burden of captaincy off his shoulders after nine years at the helm of affairs. Yuvraj Singh has hinted that the Dhoni of old might come back for the last leg of his career, playing in the same blithe fashion that he used to.

It’ll be interesting to see how Dhoni takes flight under Kohli, for we’ll miss his chirpy self behind the sticks while keeping to spinners. As a batsman, he is expected to come up the order so that he has more time to get his eye in and mould his knock based on the scenario.

All-rounders

Ben Stokes

The destructive all-rounder showed why he is rated so highly by blasting the fastest 250 ever during his ‘see-ball, hit-ball’ knock against South Africa last year. A top notch bowler who can crank up the pace when required, Stokes is an inseparable part of the English outfit in all formats.

He might be looking to improve his ODI figures, for he averages in the late 20s, and has just one three-figure score in 47 matches. The series gives him the opportunity to take his game to the next level, with this being his maiden ODI series in India.

Jos Buttler

The hard-hitting batsman is now England’s first choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, having edged out Jonny Bairstow from the competition. More than his keeping, however, he is known for his blistering knocks down the order, consisting of clean strikes that ease their way to the fence. The trust in his ability was evident when he was given a taste of captaincy of the team last year.

The 26-year old is no alien to Indian conditions, having spent his time with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL last year. He himself conceded that the stint helped him get his Test spot back.

Spinners

Adil Rashid

England finally seem to have found the solution for their long-standing quest for a top spinner, with Adil Rashid’s leg spinners giving them much needed balance in their bowling line-up. He was on a roll against India in the recent Test series, picking up wickets aplenty on the slow wickets, a trait that’ll help him in the ODI series as well.

Given that the Indian team has included more left handers in the team, Rashid will be vital for the team’s fortunes.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin turned a new leaf in his career in 2016, breaking a plethora of records throughout the year, some of them long-standing ones. He blossomed as an all-rounder as well, scoring two centuries against the West Indies, clearly his favourite opponents.

Ashwin was rewarded for his consistent performance by being awarded the ICC Player of the Year, as well as the Test Cricketer of the Year. Rested for the ODI series against New Zealand series along with Ravindra Jadeja, a refreshed Ashwin will be raring to go.

Fast bowlers

David Willey

The left-arm swing bowler, who recently got married, has been a great find for England cricket, considering the way in which he can change the way with both bat and ball. Yorkshire’s white ball hero, he showed his prowess as a complete all-rounder in England’s run to the finals of the World T20 last year.

He opens the batting in T20s ( he has hit a 40 ball century), but comes down late to bat for England, with a few lusty blows always up his sleeve.

Jasprit Bumrah

Easily the find for Indian cricket in 2016, Bumrah has been absolutely magnificent with the white ball: the control he provides and the pace he can generate along with the control make him a tough puzzle to crack. Throw in his awkward action, and the batsmen are in for a nightmare.

He might have made his international debut just last year, but it didn’t take Bumrah much time to get acclimatised to the game at the top most level, especially with the kind of backing he got from his captain.