India vs England ODIs: Fantasy Tips

Horses for Courses

Been there, done that: Shikhar Dhawan (L) and Ajinkya Rahane performed admirably in India’s last match at Cuttack

The first ODI that is to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune is only the venue’s second ever ODI with the first having been played back in 2013. The other two internationals that were played here were T20Is, one in 2012 and the other in 2016.

The first international in Pune was the 2012 T20I match between India and England. India won that match in a convincing manner. Only Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler from the current roster were part of the English side that played that T20I. Hales had scored 56 off 35 balls in that match and could be worth a punt considering how he played during the warm-up games too.

Yuvraj Singh has done fairly well at Pune taking 5 wickets in 2 innings while scoring some handy runs. Having played for the erstwhile Pune Warriors, the all-rounder will know the conditions there very well.

The last time India played at Cuttack, the host of the second ODI, was in 2014 when India beat Sri Lanka by 169. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane scored hundreds each and put on a commanding 231 runs for the opening wicket in that match while Umesh Yadav bowled admirably then.

The last ODI is to be held at one of the most iconic Indian grounds – Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Had Rohit Sharma been fit, it would have been a no-brainer to include him, but in his absence, roping in Kohli seems like an obvious choice. He has an average of just under 45 and scored a hundred and a fifty in the four ODIs he has played at the ground. Bumrah and Yadav can be expected to cause English batsmen problems at Kolkata if they can maintain their bowling discipline.