Ahead of the three-match ODI series between India and England, Callum Guest considers who would make a combined XI between the two sides
India v England, first ODI: All you need to know
After resting for the first two T20Is against England, Rohit Sharma returned in some style in the series-decider. Is there a more destructive opener in white-ball cricket than the right-hander at his best? An elegant, fearless approach sits on top of an average just shy of 50, at a strike rate of 88 and a high score of 264. England know all too well the danger he poses to their attack.
Bairstow often sets the tempo in 50-over cricket for England - even if he has lost his T20 opening berth to Jos Buttler. Since emerging as an opening partner for Jason Roy, he has shown a style and confidence that many could only dream of - worlds away from pre-Morgan England! The knowledge he has gained in Indian conditions through his IPL stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad could be vital to England's success.
Fresh from of being named player of the series in the T20I victory, any suggestion of Kohli’s poor form has been quashed: 231 runs at an average over 115, the home skipper is in some touch. His numbers in one-day cricket are freakishly formidable. Morgan and co will have to come up with a plan to stop India's main man in what is arguably his best format.
England captain Eoin Morgan
Captain of this side and a World Cup-winning leader to boot. He has taken the England white-ball side to a new level: from a disastrous 2015 World Cup to winners four years later. He can bat a bit as well, with 14 one-day hundreds to his name! Morgan is extremely versatile in his approach and rarely seems flustered under pressure, even if the T20I series was a rare struggle for runs. How he juggles a squad missing Joe Root, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes will be another test of his captaincy.
A key component to any side, Stokes’ multi-dimensional skillset will be crucial to Morgan in this series, without Root, Woakes and Archer. He will be looking to add to three ODI hundreds, perhaps as an option at number three in the absence of England’s Test skipper.
Jos Buttler pips Rishabh Pant with the gloves in this format. A phenomenal white-ball cricketer and England's finisher, Buttler’s ability to counter-attack and hit the ball 360 degrees at the end of the innings can make him impossible to bowl at. With a batting average just shy of 40 and generally excellent behind the stumps in white-ball cricket, he's just too good to leave out.
Pandya can blow hot and cold, but when on song he has a match-winning ability that few can top. He repaid the selectors' faith with his move to number six in the recent ODI series in Australia, striking an unbeaten 92 in India's 13-run victory in the third ODI in Canberra. One of the game's leading six-hitters and back-end finishers, his return to bowling during the T20Is after injury was a major fillip for India.
155 ODI wickets to his name and the ability to spin the ball both ways. Adil Rashid has been a golden asset to Eoin Morgan and his team - vital in the 2019 World Cup victory. His knack of removing India's captain Kohli is also a massive string to his bow. Beyond Rashid Khan, there can't be a better white-ball leg-spinner in the game.
Hardik Pandya (L) and Jos Buttler (R) have a combined 405 fours and 171 sixes in ODI cricket
With Jasprit Bumrah and Archer absent from this series, the need for speed lies with Mark Wood. England will have been thrilled with how he fared during the T20Is, bowling rapid spells and noticeably unsettling India's batsmen. Nursing him through the rest of a busy year will be key.
An incredibly skilful bowler at both the start and end of an innings. Kumar can swing the ball both ways when the ball is new while at the death he has a fantastic change of pace and a killer yorker. He thrives bowling the pressure overs for his side, as shown in the fifth T20I when Kohli turned to him to change the game in India’s favour.
Surely he has to start? The 26-year-old left-arm wrist spinner has struggled recently in the shortest and longest formats of the game, spending his days as a mere passenger, involved with a watching brief only. However, ODI cricket has been his playground: Yadav averages a wicket every six overs and, with 100 wickets already to his name, much like Rashid, his ability to spin the ball both ways is lethal in this form of the game.
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