Preview: India vs England – 3rd ODI

First Published : 18 Jan 2013, 12:19
Last Modified : 18 Jan 2013, 12:19

By: Shirin Sadikot in Mumbai

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What

The third ODI between India and England in the ongoing five-match series

When

January 19, 2013, Saturday

Where

The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) International Stadium Complex

The Teams

Batting brilliance of the lower middle-order and an inspired effort from the bowlers gave India a commanding series-levelling win at Kochi. The game brought out many positives for India – the skill and grit shown by the two young pacers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed, lofty fielding standards and Ravindra Jadeja finally living up to his billing of an all-rounder. India is often criticised for the lack of ruthlessness after having the opposition on the mat. The 127-run win was a far cry from that belief.

While Team India has produced a stunning game occasionally, the ability to do it consistently is something they will vie for. Also, as skipper MS Dhoni admitted soon after the last match, the win doesn’t lessen the concern regarding the famine of runs from the top four batsmen. The top order cannot keep collapsing, leaving No.5, 6 and 7 to bail the team out. It might not be a bad idea to give one of the out-of-form batsmen a breather and bring in a man with a fresh mind and the confidence of recent runs under his belt. With that in mind, playing Cheteshwar Pujara could be a good idea.

The Kochi loss was one of the rare occasions on England’s current Indian tour that multiple facets of their game failed in a single outing. The openers didn’t click, the death overs-specialists didn’t live up to their cunning reputation and there were no partnerships built for the resurrection of the innings. The visitors will be out there next game to prove the previous loss was an aberration. At a new venue, on a completely unknown wicket, they will have to read the playing conditions extremely well to start off.

England might consider bringing in Tim Bresnan for Chris Woakes to add experience to the bowling and beef up the lower-order batting.

Key Players

As MS Dhoni leads his troops on the field, it’s going to be a momentous occasion for Ranchi and the city’s favourite son. The expectations will be overwhelming as he leads India for the first time in front of his hometown. Not the kind of man to succumb to any amount of pressure, Dhoni would certainly want to continue with his recent excellent form with the bat. It would be interesting to see if, given that he’s the team’s most prolific batsman since quite some time now, he’d promote himself up the order.

Kevin Pietersen was the only England batsman to show some resistance and intent in Kochi. While most of his teammates struggled to counter the swing of the Indian pacers and the turn and bounce generated by the spinners, Pietersen remained sensibly attacking during his 44-ball stay at the crease. England would love for their most charismatic and skilled batsman to spend more time in the middle.

Trivia

- Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi will become India’s 42^nd ground to host a one-day international.

- Only one Indian captain has managed to score a ODI century at his home ground – Sachin Tendulkar. He made 114 against South Africa at Mumbai Wankhede in 1996

Stats

Venue Stats:

This is the first international match to be played at the JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi.

Team Stats:

Head-to-head:

Form guide (most recent listed first):

India:  Won, Lost, Won, Lost, Lost (2 wins, 3 losses)

England: Lost, Won, Lost, Won, Won (3 wins, 2 losses)

The Squads

India: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Stuart Meaker, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Samit Patel