Can Virat Kohli and India give England the perfect send-off in ODI series?

Fresh off
the back of a comprehensive win to seal a 3-2 triumph in the thrilling T20I
series, Virat Kohli’s men will now turn their attention to the 50-over format in
the third and final leg of a blockbuster England’s tour of India.

Also Read | ICC fines India for slow over-rate in 5th T20I against England

The
three-match ODI series is scheduled to start on March 23 with all three matches
set to be played behind closed doors at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association
Stadium.

Apart from
bragging rights, this series will have the added incentive of ICC Men’s Cricket
World Cup Super League – a World Test Championship-esque mini tournament that
will determine qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup – points at stake.

India have
named an 18-man squad for the upcoming series, with maiden call-ups for 25-year-old
paceman Prasidh Krishna and the in-form Suryakumar Yadav.

Rohit
Sharma will be an undisputed contender for the opening spot, with one either Shubman
Gill, KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan to open alongside the ‘Hitman’. Gill can be
a surprise inclusion in the opening clash, given that both Rahul and Dhawan failed to fire in the T20I series.

India will also
have a strong middle order, with the likes of Hardik Pandya,
Suryakumar, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to choose from. India can field either
Krunal Pandya or Washington Sundar along with Hardik as a second all-rounder.

In the
bowling department, India have two specialist spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and
Kuldeep Yadav – and five pacers, including T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md
Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur in the mix.

Also Read | England announce squad for ODI series sans Archer due to injury

Just like the T20Is, India and England are the top two ICC ranked teams in the world, with
the visitors top of the rankings tree. And India fans across the world will be hoping, and perhaps expecting, the outcome of the ODIs is along the lines of the recently-concluded Test and T20I series. 

India squad:
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer,
Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul (WK), Yuzvendra
Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur.