Day7-365 Challenge India Vs England ODI Team/T20 Team

















Having dominated the Test series, India's confidence must be sky high. Kohli and his boy totally dominated thee series against England right from the word go. However the ODIs and the T20's will be a totally different ball game, and both the teams will be raring to have a good start. I guess both the teams will be keen to experiment with their bench strength before the ICC-Champions Trophy in England. Remember India had won the last edition in England. So lets get to analyzing each and every selection of the Indian Cricket Team. Overall I think that the selectors have done a decent job in selecting the team considering the fact that there are quite a few on the injured list.. So here is the Selection:

ODI Squad

Virat Kohli(Captain)
Outstanding player, has been leading the team by example. Everyone feels that he is at the peak of his batting form, I feel that he has more potential and has much more to offer Indian Cricket. He has taken over the Captaincy of the Indian Team from Dhoni for all the versions of the game. He has tasted some quick success as Captain of the Indian Test Team, backed his team to the hilt, has employed the right strategies. It remains to be seen how he marshalls his resources in the shorter versions of the game.

Ravichandran Ashwin
Virat Kohli's go to man and key member of the strategic think tank. Currently ranked as the best offie in the world. He is a thinking cricketer, has a plan for each of his opponents. He has been in great form  of late and taking 5 wickets in an innings has become a habit. When he is not taking wickets, he is stifling the batsman at one end, creating enough pressure to allow his partner Jadeja from the other end to do the job.

Ravindra Jadeja
Again in imperious form. His contribution to the team as a bowler and as an outstanding fielder has never really been in question. His main weapon has been the arm ball that he has used with great results against the England Team. His contributions with the bat have flowered off late especially in the series against England. He has definitely matured as a cricketer.

KL Rahul
Rahul has had a fair bit of success in the Test Match format. I am not too sure of his credentials in the ODI format. He has been through a lot of fitness problems in the recent past. I guess the selectors did not have much of a choice given the injuries to Rohit Sharma. Maybe we could have given a chance to Parthiv Patel as a opening batsman, not necessarily as a wicket-keeper.

Shikar Dhawan
According to me a wrong choice. He has had success no doubt but has the tendency to give up his wicket after getting a good start. His failures have all come due to a sudden rush of blood or a reckless shot. At that level you need to be a consistent scorer, converting those 50's into 100's which he has not been doing. Not too sure how he has been given a chance. Again he was in great touch in the last edition of the Champions trophy. Given his familiarity with the English conditions, the selectors might have placed their faith on him.

M S Dhoni
He has relinquished his captaincy and has nothing really left to prove. Outstanding contributions to Indian Cricket. India's best wicket-keeper batsman. His keeping skills are legendary stuff and is very agile. He is one of the fastest runner between wickets now. He has made it to the team basis his batting and finishing skills. No one comes even close to him when it comes to taking guard behind the stumps. His being in the team will be a huge plus for the others, and Kohli will definitely want to take his experienced counsel in match situations. This could be the twilight of his career.

Manish Pandey
Useful as a lower order batsman and a very good fielder in the outfield. He has an excellent arm to send in those strong throws from the boundary. Comes off as a flashy batsman. There are days when he can do nothing wrong and can grind the opposition into submission, while there are other days when he just throws his wicket away. He has to still learn the art of being more consistent with his batting.

Kedar Jadhav
Critical stage in his career, He is yet to cement his place in the senior team. Kedar has had a fair bit of success in the domestic tournaments. His position is very key in the team coming in as a middle order batsman. His role is pretty tough as he comes in when either he has to go for runs or has to steady the ship with the lower order.

Yuvraj Singh
Wrong choice. Player clearly past his prime. If we are looking to see repeat performances like the six 6's he hit against Stuart Broad or even a few glimpses from his glorious past we might need to catch up with reality. He might have shown good form in the domestic circuit and low key tournaments but international games are a different league. Perhaps the selectors might want to give him one last to chance to sign off on what has been an illustrious career.

Ajinkya Rahane
A Player who has all the prerequisites for a great player but keeps falling short of all expectations. My favorite player, stylish batsman, has a wide array of shots and can play in any kind of playing conditions. He has a knack of getting out in the most ordinary shots, nicking outside the off stump. In form he can throw any attack in the world in total disarray. Very useful slip fielder.

Hardik Pandya
Dhoni has been giving him the new ball to him in recent matches. He has developed those lovely sharp in cutters and the unexpected steep bounce. Looks medium pace but on his days can trouble any quality batsman with his deliveries. Doubles up as a pinch hitter and can shred the opposition bowling to pieces on his day. He can also be a useful bowler in the slog overs.

Amit Mishra  
Quality leg spinner especially in the shorter versions in the game. He has been Dhoni's go to man in the middle overs and has picked up key wickets whenever the situation has demanded. With Kumble as coach Amit Mishra is only bound to get bettter from here with key inputs from the legendary Karnataka leggie.

Jasprit Bumrah 
He has a sling like bowling action much on the lines of Malinga. He himself has admitted picking up a lot of tips from Malinga during his stint with the Mumbai Indians. He is quite pacy and can almost bowl those toe crushing yorkers at will. He has been fairly economical especially in the slog overs. He and Umesh Yadav can form a good pace combination in the absence of the injured Shami.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
Just about makes it to the team on account of injuries to Shami. He has had no real match winning performances off late. Again the selectors might have kept him in mind on account of the Champions Trophy in England where the conditions could suit his bowling style.

Umesh Yadav
He is known to bend his back in dead tracks. Has quality pace and swing. He has the ability of hitting the stumps consistently at right lengths. Sometimes can go out of control especially in the slog overs.

T20 Squad(Additions)

Mandeep Singh
Frankly enough I have not seen much of this batsman, however he comes off as a powerful and strong right hand batsman from Punjab. He has had a fair bit of success in the IPL and can also be a uselful medium pace bowler.

Suresh Raina
Makes his comeback to the Indian team on account of his track record in the T20's. He has not had a very good 2016 barring a few matches. The selectors would be hoping that he hits from against the English side. Definitely an asset to the side, considering that he is a very good fielder and can save a lot of runs in the outfield. He can quickly send in a few overs in the middle game. He is known for hitting those huge sixers into the stands.

Rishabh Pant
U19 skipper, wicket-keeper batsman. He is known to be an attacking batsman and has had an outstanding year in the domestic league. Besides I am sure that it will be a great learning experience for him to be sharing the dressing room with the likes of Dhoni from whom he would be keen to pick up a lot of nuances.

Yuzvendra Chahal
Claim to fame- He is the only player to represent India in Chess and Cricket. How many of you know that? I did not until now. He reperesents RCB in IPL and Haryana in domestic cricket. He comes into the team to showcase his leg spin skills.

Ashish Nehra
Wrong choice by any standards. He is nearing his forties and for a pace bowler that's clearly past his prime. He has put in quite a few winning performances for the country especially in the T20 version but not to sure what he can offer to the team at this stage in his career.

Other members of the T20 squad being Virat Kohli(Captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, M S Dhoni,KL Rahul, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Manish Pandey.

Here's wishing the Indian Cricket Team all the very best. Its going to be a hectic year ahead for the team with a series against England, a short test series against Bangladesh, The Champions Trophy before we head to South Africa.






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