India vs England 1st ODI: 4 players worth watching out for in the 1st ODI
Following the conclusion of a thrilling T20 International series between India & England, the action is now set to shift to shift to the 50 over format as he three-match One-Day International Series between is all set to kick off today and the first contest of this series will be played at Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The match will commence at 1:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time).
Under the leadership of Surya Kumar Yadav, the Indians had earlier secured a dominating 4-1 series win over England in the five-match T20 International and now that the shortest format of the game series is over, the focus of the Men in Blue will now shift to the One-Day International Series.
The Indian team will be led by Rohit Sharma and they would be looking to show carry on with their dominance in the ODIs and prepare themselves in a proper manner ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Jos Buttler-led England on the other hand, would like move on from their horrific performance in the T20 International series and they would like to make a strong and dominating comeback in the Three-match ODI series.
It will be interesting to see whether the Indian Cricket Team continues to showcase their excellent performance and find success in defeating the Three Lions in the ODI series as well or whether England defy the odds and pull off an upset by defeating the Men in Blue in the ODI series in their own backyard.
This upcoming series is going to be very important and crucial for both teams as it will allow them to prepare in a thorough and optimum manner for the forthcoming Champions Trophy. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will be making his comeback in the team alongside the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill.
All eyes will be on the star players of both teams and ahead of this entertaining clash, let's take a look at four players that are worth watching out for in the first ODI.
Rohit Sharma
Captain Rohit Sharma will be witnessed donning the blue jersey of Team India for the first time since the ODI Series versus Sri Lanka and ODI Cricket is a format which the 37-year-old loves to play. He has amassed an impressive run tally of 230 runs in his last nine ODI games with an explosive strike rate of 169.11.
His explosive starts at the top of the order and his fabulous leadership skills will surely help Team India dominate England in the first ODI and the skipper would also like to get back into the groove before the commencement of Champions Trophy 2025.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill, the Prince of Indian Cricket, has also been away from the blue colours of the Indian team since the Sri Lanka series and he will also be making his comeback to the 50 over format in the ODI series versus England.
He is a talented player who knows how to stay at the crease without getting dismissed and even knows how to target the opposition bowlers. The 25-year-old has scored 315 runs in his last six One-Day International matches at a mind blowing strike rate of 176.96 and he has an average of 35 in those games.
He also has knack of converting 50's into 100's and the Indian management would want their star batter to be in good form with the bat ahead of Champions Trophy 202in
Jos Buttler
England's white ball skipper Jos Buttler hasn't been in great form lately and he has been struggling with constant injuries and a poor run of form has hampered his International career even more.
He will be handling the leadership duties of the 2019 ODI World Cup winners in the forthcoming 2025 Champions Trophy and he would want to silent his critics by helping England win the tournament for the first time ever.
He has scored 214 runs in his last 8 matches in the format at an average of 42.8 and a strike rate of 158.51. Buttler's combination of calm and aggressive batting provides stability to England's middle order.
Harry Brook
The Three Lions will be relying on Harry Brook's explosive batting style and power to tackle the might of the Indian bowling unit in home conditions. He has scored a total of 170 runs in his last eight ODI games which is not that impressive for a batter of his stature but we all know what kind of talent the youngster has and he can use his talent and skillset to perfection versus India in the first ODI and lead his side to victory.
His explosive performance gives strength to England in tough matches and an explosive version of Brook will be really difficult for Team India to handle.