India's predicted playing XI against England for the 1st ODI
The Indian Cricket Team started their series against England brightly. They won the T20I series 2-1 and impressed one and all with their performance. They won the first match but couldn't carry the same momentum into the next encounter as they lost it. However, they did come back strongly and won the third T20I by 3 wickets courtesy a Rohit Sharma special.
The ODI series promises to be an interesting one as both the top ranked teams will go head to head. England sits on top of the table with 126 points whereas India has 122 points and are placed second. India can displace England from the top if they defeat them 3-0. A 2-1 victory wouldn't be enough as that would keep England on 125 points and India on 123.
India and England have adopted two contrasting styles of play but both have been equally successful. On one side England treat ODI's as an extended version of the T20 format and on the other hand, India play it the old fashioned way by keeping wickets in hand before going berserk in the last 10-15 overs. It should be a mouth watering clash on the 12th of July at Trent Bridge.
Here's a look at India's probable playing XI for the first ODI against England.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma
Shikhar Dhawan was in the form of his life until he hit a road block against England in the T20I's. He could only muster 19 runs from the three matches and this isn't great for India as Dhawan generally takes some time to get back into form after struggling for a few matches. 'Gabbar' has scored 4361 runs in 102 matches at a strike rate of 93.44. He enjoys batting in England as has scored 856 runs in the at a strike rate of 100.
Rohit Sharma's form has been in stark contrast when compared to Dhawan's. He was in pathetic form just before the tour of England but his fortunes changed rapidly as he scored 137 runs in the T20I series including a century. The Hitman has scored 6594 runs in 174 innings at a strike rate of 87. While batting in England, he has scored 533 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 79.43.