England vs India: VVS Laxman picks his playing XI for first ODI
What's the story?
As India get ready to take on England in the first ODI of the three-match ODI series, former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman picked his playing XI for the first ODI.
Interestingly, he chose to go with KL Rahul at no. 3 and Virat Kohli at no. 4
"I don't see any changes from the T20Is. I feel that the majority of the players who played in the T20Is will play in the ODIs," he said in a video with ESPN Cricinfo.
"Virat Kohli has won so many matches batting at no. 3 but you can't ignore the form KL Rahul is in right now. In the last one and a half years, they have tried a lot of players at the no. 4 position, but with this top four, there is quality, class, and experience. This is the top four I would like to see at next year's world cup," he continued.
In case you didn't know...
KL Rahul has been in great form with the bat as he showed in the T20I series against England. He scored his second T20I century in the first match and took India to victory. India won the T20I series 2-1 and will look to carry the momentum into the ODI series as well.
The details
The XI which Laxman picked: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Laxman also praised the balance of the Indian cricket team, saying that they are good in all three departments of the game.
"There is a lot of depth in the batting order and in the bowling department, Kuldeep and Chahal have been picking up a lot of wickets in the middle overs and once Bhuvneshwar Kumar is fully fit, we all know what he can do with the ball," he said.
What's next?
The two sides will square off in the first ODI of the three-match series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 13.