Predicted XI for India for the ODI Series against England

Middle Order

4.MS Dhoni

For the first time in over 9 years, MS Dhoni will player merely as a wicket-keeper batsman in the Indian team. There is no doubt that for every fan watching the game at the ground in Pune and at home, it will be a different feeling.

From his own perspective, this is the ideal time for him to get up the order and make some valuable contributions for the team. While leading, Dhoni gave the younger players an opportunity to go and express themselves.

Now it is his time to do that for himself and it will please his massive fan base no end if he can show glimpses of his past and play an aggressive style of play, which one saw with not so often during his tenure as captain.

5.Yuvraj Singh

Making a comeback to the ODI team a gap of three years, Yuvraj Singh will know that like Dhoni, he too is in the final stage of a successful career and will need to start showing his experience in the middle-order.

Several diverse opinions have emerged on his selection in the team, but now that he has been picked, he will need to show that he still has got it in him to deliver on the international stage and if he can do that, then it will surely relieve a key middle-order headache for Kohli and the management.

6.Kedar Jadhav

A slot where India needs to find some reliability, particularly if Dhoni intends to bat higher up the order is the Number 6 position. Among the options that they have is Kedar Jadhav, who has done that job for his franchises in the IPL, but is yet to put in a substantial performance for India at that spot.

It will be interesting to see how many chances he receives to prove he has got it in him to do well over there, considering Manish Pandey is also a contender for that position, but if he can put in one exceptional performance, then he could well keep that spot for himself for a while.