England vs India 2018: Five things England should do ahead of the second ODI
India won the first of the three One-Day Internationals against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in the most clinical manner chasing down a score of 269 in just 40.1 overs to take a 1-0 lead.
There was no doubt about who set the game up for India. It was the spin and guile of Kuldeep Yadav which had the hosts reading the wrong book once again as the left-arm spinner went onto create history, register the best figures for any spinner against England in ODIs.
His 6 for 25 was well backed by a superlative century by Rohit Sharma which broke the chase completely. Shikhar Dhawan gave India a quick start and then Rohit combined with his favorite batting partner in Virat Kohli to put India on course for a clinical win.
England have very little time to turn things around as the second game is not too far away and here we look at the five things England can do to improve their chances ahead of the second ODI at Lord's.
#1 Tackle Kuldeep Yadav better
It sounds as predictable as it is but the secret to ensure they beat India and keep the pressure on them is to find a way to counter Kuldeep Yadav. They can use any number of machines to simulate the bowling of the Indian spinner but nothing helps like facing him out in the middle.
They need not look too far back for the same. After losing the first Twenty20 International, they batted very positively and were successful in transferring pressure back on the left-arm spinner. The one hammering meant Kuldeep was not played in the decider of the series which should give the hosts a huge sigh of relief.
Kuldeep has been a key figure in India's resurgence as an ODI side under Virat Kohli and if they manage to counter the threat from him, it will go a long way in helping them wrest control of the game for long and keep the series alive.