India outplayed England and won the ODI Series by 2-1. England are facing gloomy times as this is the second consecutive time that England has failed to win a single Series in India; as earlier in 2016-17 they were blatantly dominated by India.
SNAPSHOT: Skipper Virat Kohli with ODI Trophy after winning the Series by 2-1
#India
India’s bowling unit was relatively inexperienced as they rested Bumrah & Shami as these two are the core of the bowling line up. India handed debuts to the all-rounder Krunal Pandya and the fast-bowling sensation Prasidh Krishna. Krunal Pandya was absolutely dangerous in the death overs while batting as he scored 95 runs which included one half century that too a fastest by a debutant. Krunal is not quite a great turner of the ball as he was easily taken to cleaners by Bairstow and Stokes in the 2nd ODI and at the same time he didn’t pick wickets which a Captain expects. Prasidh had a dream debut come true as he took 6 wickets and looked quite in control with his line & length. He is definitely an option for India as a back- up Seamer.
It looks like that KL Rahul has accommodated himself as a middle order batsman. He was the top run scorer for India with 177 runs which included one century and one century. India should not tweak Rahul’s position anymore even if Shikhar Dhawan’s form is topsy-turvy as India needs a stabilizer in the middle order and a finisher too. Dhawan too had a decent series with 169 runs which included 2 half centuries with one score of 98. Dhawan should make sure that his fitness is right up to the mark as he is currently 35 years of age and if he wants to play the next 3 World Cups (2 of T20I and one 50 over World Cup) then he needs to pull up his socks as he is quite a lot injury prone. India needs to think of a back up opener may be in the form of Mayank Agrawal, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan or Prithvi Shaw. Rishabh Pant is proving his worth as he is smashing the bowlers all around the park. He scored 155 runs in 2 matches which included 2 half centuries. Pant’s fearless approach is finally giving rewards to him and team but he needs to be consistent enough as previously he was dropped from the Australian tour for the ODI Series. Virat Kohli the skipper is getting the starts and scoring fifties but not centuries as it has been almost 2 years since he has scored a century.
Surprisingly Shardul Thakur was the leading wicket taker in this ODI Series with 7 wickets which included one 4 wicket haul. Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again was at his best with his swing bowling which rewarded him 6 scalps. Kuldeep Yadav took a lot of hammering as it looks like his variations are no longer threatening. T Natarajan was picked for the 3rd ODI who was quite impressive at the death overs and was the unsung hero in the decider. India always required a left hander seamer who can be used as a secret weapon in crunch matches. India’s bowling line up has got depth but at the same time the management should be cautious while managing the workload.
#England
The World Cup Champions had everything to succeed in India this time but they came failed once again. Bairstow was the top run scorer of the ODI Series with 219 runs which included one century and one-half century. Bairstow showed a lot of aggressive approach which he is renowned for but at the same time he should also play sensibly. Ben Stokes & Jason Roy both the batsmen scored 100 odd runs. This time as the ECB (England Cricket Board) decided to rest their key batsman Joe Root then the management made Stokes as their no.3 batsman. Stokes did a good job as he had no experience in that position but he showed signs of a destructive batsman which the management can use as a danger man who can take the game away in a span of 3-4 wickets. Eoin Morgan was injured in the first match of the ODI Series as a result there was a huge void in their batting line up because Sam Billings was also sidelined with an injury. Liam Livingstone was handed the cap who played fearlessly but couldn’t bat for longer periods which was badly needed. Sam Curran almost won the match and series for England as he played a knock of 95 runs in just 83 balls and throughout his innings there were shades of the Legendary MS Dhoni as he was targeting the bowlers smartly but unfortunately England lost that match by a whisker margin of only mere 7 runs. There were huge expectations from Jos Buttler the skipper for the 2nd & 3rd ODI matches but he failed without troubling the scorers so did Moeen Ali. England would be delighted as they have found a gem in Sam Curran in ODI format as he proved that he is not only a TEST Campaigner but a white ball player too.
Mark Wood was the leading wicket taker for England with 5 scalps. Stokes took 4 wickets and was providing the major breakthrough for the team. Reece Topley and Adil Rashid both the bowlers took 3 wickets each. Recce’s angle was troubling India’s batsmen a lot as he was using his variations cunningly. The Curran brothers Sam & Tom took a lot of hammering and astonishingly Tom was beaten up badly who is a quite a specialist in the ODI Series. Jofra Archer missed this ODI Series due to elbow injury but England should manage his workload carefully because if they want him to play the red ball cricket then he must be given ample rest. England are making a mistake by not picking David Willey the fast-swing bowler who not only is a wicket-taker but is a handy all rounder too. He was unfortunate to miss from the World Cup squad too which Eoin Morgan admitted too as he was the leader of the bowling attack who created holes in opponent’s batting line up. England need to reassess their performance in India as not winning a single series since last two tours is a wakeup call.
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