India's strongest ODI playing XI for the England tour

Right after the completion of the 2018 IPL, the Indian team's first major limited-overs assignment will be the three T20Is and three ODIs against England in England. Just before the start of the T20I against the Poms, the Indian team will play a couple of T20Is against the Irishmen in Ireland.

It has been announced that the national selectors will meet on May 8 to pick the team for the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the limited-overs leg of the England tour. Let us take a look at how India should line up in the ODI series.

Openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Opening is one area where there are a lot of contenders in the Indian team. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul etc. are in contention for the openers' role and only three will be boarding the flight to the United Kingdom.

It is almost certain that India's tried and tested opening combination, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting in the ODI series against England. In all likelihood, Rahul might pip Pant, who is seen as a middle order option with the Indian team selecting Rahane for the third opener's spot thanks to his recent heroics.