Combined India-England XI for the first ODI in Trent Bridge
Two of the best ODI sides in the world will come up against each other at the Trent Bridge tomorrow and it promises to be an exciting affair. While both the teams have excellent limited-overs players in their line-ups, we have a combined XI of both the teams that can be the most lethal of the lot.
Picking one between Rohit Sharma and Jason Roy was one of the toughest decisions one has to make. While Rohit has been the limited-overs superstar that he is - with three double centuries in the 50-overs format - Roy has been one of the major architects of England’s ODI resurrection. However, the Indian vice-captain stood out because of his ability to pace the innings well throughout and the ability to take down any bowlers with ease, unlike Roy, who has obvious problems against tight spin bowling.
Pick for the first opening slot - Rohit Sharma
While Shikhar Dhawan has scored at an average of 64.60 in the 6 ODIs he has played so far in 2018, which included a fantastic tour of South Africa, Jonny Bairstow has proved that he can be the most fluent anchor and aggressive run-accumulator in the ODI cricket and despite his lesser average than Dhawan, he has been way too consistent to be left out of the team.
Pick for the second opening slot - Jonny Bairstow
KL Rahul’s record in ODIs is anything but overwhelming. However, that can mostly be attributed to the injuries and lack of assurance of a permanent spot in the side. In contrast, Alex Hales has been one of the mainstays of the English team in the last two years and scoring runs in a heap. But, looking at the way Rahul batted in the first ODI, it is a crystal clear fact that he can be all the more dangerous. Plus, Hales’ apparent weakness on the off-side can be exploited by the spinners, but Rahul has no such weaknesses. Conversely, Hales struggles to get going in the middle overs, but Rahul is master of making big scores once he sets his eye in.
Pick for No.3 slot: KL Rahul
Make any ODI team and Virat Kohli will straight walk into it. It is a no-brainer. Although the Indian skipper decided to demote himself a position in the T20Is, the trend seems to continue in the ODIs as well. Root was also largely underwhelming in the home series against Australia, which directly takes him out of this team.
Pick for No.4 slot: Virat Kohli
While Shreyas Iyer is expected to be the link between the Indian top-order and middle-order, Eoin Morgan is way more experienced and has the ability to finish games with finesse. The English skipper can be a big hitter, can be an anchor and a finisher as per the situation and this makes him an automatic selection.
Pick for No. 5 slot: Eoin Morgan
This one is a controversial choice. While Jos Buttler is an intelligent, articulate, gifted young man and has recently taken the arena of the limited-overs cricketing world with a storm, MS Dhoni is as lethal as he has ever been behind the stumps. But, Buttler is not a bad keeper either and solely on the basis of his batting, he scores over the former Indian skipper.
© ECB - FacebookPick for Wicket-keeping slot: Jos Buttler
Hardik Pandya is the hot name in international cricket at the moment, and not only because of his swashbuckling hitting abilities. At a time, when bowlers are being openly mocked for the choice of their vocation in the sport, Hardik has the ability to throw in surprises and the last T20I in Bristol was an example. Considering he is an important part of the Indian batting line-up, I found it hard to include Liam Plunkett in the team ahead of the Indian all-rounder. Plunkett, although, has more variations as a bowler, Pandya makes to the team because of the balance he provides to the team.
Pick for the No.7 slot: Hardik Pandya
David Willey can be lethal in conditions
Pick for the No.8 slot: David Willey
Despite two unimpressive performances in the series so far, Bhuvneshwar Kumar still remains India's pace spearhead and due to his abilities both with the new and old ball, he will still be Virat Kohli’s go-to-man. Giving him a contest is Mark Wood, which makes the Indian pacer’s selection in the team all the
Pick for the No.9 slot - Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are the two main weapons in Kohli’s arsenal, and the duo bamboozled the South Africans completely. Albeit, the flat wicket may result in the duo conceding more runs than usual, they are wicket-taking options as compared to the duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, who despite their abilities to restrict the run-flow can never be as lethal as the Indian duo.
Spinners in the