mid-day.com takes a look at five players who can make a big impact for India in the series
(clockwise) Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and T Natarajan
Having last won an ODI series 14 months back, Team India will be desperate to conquer Eoin Morgan’s England in the three-match series, starting Tuesday.
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mid-day.com takes a look at five players who can make a big impact for India in the series.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
Last 5 ODIs
Runs: 393, Average: 78.60, Highest: 159, 100s: 2
India will bank on opener Rohit Sharma to give the team a good start in ODIs against England. Rohit’s absence in the last two ODI series impacted the team’s batting order as they went on to lose series abroad against New Zealand and Australia. The opening batsman from Mumbai, who last played a one-dayer in January last year, has returned to form (64 off 34 balls) in the fifth T20I against England. The visitors are well aware that Rohit, the format’s highest individual run-getter (264), has the ability to score big hundreds and put the opposition out of the game.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
Last 5 ODIs
Runs: 197, Average: 39.40, Highest: 89, 100s: 0
Skipper Virat Kohli hasn’t played a defining knock in the last few ODIs. But his return to form in the T20I series against the visitors (231 runs in five matches) will give the hosts some relief. Kohli, who has amassed 1,178 in 30 ODIs against England, hasn’t scored a century in the last 12 one-dayers. The Indian skipper will be itching to break the jinx in the upcoming matches.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya. PIC/GETTY IMAGES
Last 5 ODIs
Runs: 249, Batting average: 83.00, Highest: 92*, 100s: 0, Wickets: 3, Bowling average: 43:00
Hardik Pandya has been in superb form with the bat. His unbeaten 17-ball 39 runs cameo helped India post a mammoth 224-2 in the series-deciding fifth T20I against England. The destructive lower-order batsman has the ability to take the game away from the opposition within a few overs. The all-rounder also brings an extra weightage to the bowling department. The right-arm pacer has also done a decent job claiming three wickets in five T20Is against England at an economy rate of 6.94.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar. PIC/AFP
Last 5 ODIs
Wickets: 8, Average: 25.75, Best: 4-31
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be playing his first ODI since August 2019 and will be leading the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The right-arm pacer made a comeback in the recently-concluded T20I series against England after recovering from a thigh muscle injury. He was not among the top wicket-takers (four wickets in five matches) in the T20I series but was quite outstanding with an economy rate of just 6.38. His ability to restrict the opposition batsmen from scoring big makes him the captain’s go-to man in the death overs.
T Natarajan
T Natarajan. PIC/AFP
Matches: 1 Wickets: 2, Average: 35.00, Best: 2-70
T Natarajan was the story of the Australian tour. The left-arm pacer, who was picked as net bowler, became the first India player to make his international debut across all three formats in one tour. The speedster from Tamil Nadu has played only one ODI so far, but his ability to bowl yorkers at will makes him a good white-ball prospect. He will be confident of putting up a solid show at home after impressing one and all by claiming 12 wickets in six matches Down Under.
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