Published: Jan 19, 2015, 08:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 19, 2015, 08:35 PM (IST)
India and England face each other in the third One-Day International (ODI) of the tri-series Down Under on Tuesday. Both sides would be eager to register a win, provided rains stays away. Having played each other only last year, there may also be a sense of familiarity. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks some key points to watch out for in this game.
A threat of rain looms large over the third One-Day International (ODI) between India and England at The Gabba, Brisbane. With both sides losing their opening encounters against Australia, this game is crucial as each team would want to carry momentum into the second round of the tri-series. This isn’t a typical triangular tournament Down Under. For starters, there are only two league rounds followed by the lone final encounter. This format makes almost every game important in context of the final and if a team is down in the first round, it is an uphill task to get back into contention.
India and England may be coming off defeats in their respective first matches, but both fought hard against Australia. India managed to take it down to the penultimate over when Australia were cruising, while England also kept chipping away at the wickets as the hosts gunned for the bonus point on offer. Heading into this encounter, there may be some optimism but also familiarity. The two teams played a bilateral series last year, during which India emerged victorious. Here are some of the key points the teams would want to watch out for ahead of this game.
Shikhar Dhawan’s performance: It may only be the lone failure so far, but with Ajinkya Rahane in the side, Dhawan can ill-afford to take his position in the team lightly. He has been consistent since he returned in 2013, but the Test series exposed certain flaws in his technique. In the first ODI, he was visibly struggling against Mitchell Starc in the first over. Earlier, the toss-up was between Rohit Sharma and Rahane to partner Dhawan. It is imperative that Dhawan scores runs as that would silence the critics.
Possible change in the batting order for India: In the last game, India had Rahane batting at No. 3. Perhaps that was done as the wicket had fallen early and it did make sense with Rahane being the third opener in the side. However, Virat Kohli is India’s trump-card and mainstay in ODIs. Allowing him to bat at No. 3 would mean that you have your best batsman there. This could be a possibility for this game.
India’s new ball bowling: During the last game, India’s performance in the middle-overs and at the death was satisfactory. The fact that they failed to maintain the pressure with the new ball is what cost them in the end. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was consistent as usual and did his bit. However, runs were leaked at the other end. Umesh Yadav unleashed his best at the death but it was too little, too late. Yadav has to be in the game early and support Bhuvneshwar to create that pressure.
England’s batting line-up: To say that this England team looks better than the one that toured Sri Lanka last year may not be inaccurate. They may have failed in the first ODI, but have enough firepower in the ranks. Moeen Ali brings aggression upfront and has Ian Bell who can score at a good rate and maintain the pressure. Joe Root is one of the anchors in the batting line-up. Perhaps the inclusion of Alex Hales may add more dynamism to the batting. Skipper Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler complete the order. It is only a matter of time before this line-up comes good.
England’s performance against spinners: One of the biggest talking points ahead of this game would be the way the English batsmen would take on the Indian spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin has been successful in tying them down in the past. Ravindra Jadeja too has done well, but may not be available. In that case, Akshar Patel fills in, who is a more accurate bowler than Jadeja. Will England get bogged down or manage to break the shackles in the middle overs?
James Tredwell’s inclusion: England seem to run short of variety of options in the middle overs. Moeen Ali may have troubled India in the Tests but ODIs are a different ball game. It would be unfair to rely on a part-timer in the middle overs. Ravi Bopara may not present a huge challenge either. Thus, England need to bring in James Tredwell, who can create the pressure in the middle overs and possibly restrict the flow of runs. It would depend on the conditions but England need to give him time to adjust ahead of the World Cup.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
