India vs England: 4 Reasons why England start as favorites in the T20I and ODI series
India is travelling to England for a full tour which comprises off 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and then 5 Tests. The last time India travelled India to England they lost the Test series but won the ODI series 3-1. The only T20I in 2014 was won by England. When India travel to England most of the times, they play the Test matches first and then the limited overs internationals. However, this time, it's the other way round.
The limited overs leg is scheduled first and then the Tests are to be held in August. Right now England is the No.1 ODI side and going in their territory for the shorter formats is going to be tough for India. This England side has a totally different mindset. After the 2015 World Cup, they changed their approach towards white-ball cricket. They have a fearless mindset and will keep coming hard at the opposition and will look to score runs or take wickets irrespective of the situation. They don’t follow the traditional way since the embarrassing loss in the 2015 World Cup. This change in attitude helped them achieve the No.1 ranking in the ODI format. So, let’s have a look at 4 reasons why England starts as favourites in this limited-overs leg.
4. Home Advantage
In cricket, home advantage is a big plus. Not only because of the home support but also as the home team can make pitches which suit them. We have often seen that the pitches favour the home side more. Similarly, England will dish out some flat wickets because that is their strength.
Their strength is not those pitches where the ball stops or turns but the pitches which offer absolutely nothing to the bowlers. If we have a look at the ODI series against Australia, 3 out of the 5 ODIs there were scores in excess of 300 out of which one was the highest ever international score of 481-6! The pitches will be more or less of the same kind against India which will favour England and hence this reason is slotted in at No.4 on this list.