It is the same story for England in the ODIs as was for India in the Tests. The Batsmen just do not seem to be clicking as a unit. One would have expected more out of the likes of the 50-over specialists like Morgan and Buttler.
Bopara was missed! I mean yes Buttler batted at 6 for England yesterday, and he is a great prospect for England. And Bopara perhaps would have slotted at 7 had he been around in place of Stokes. Ben Stokes is hugely talented alright, but Bopara has a better strike rate and a much better average of 31ish against Stokes who averages under 15, which is nothing to be proud of. Plus, the biggest advantage what Bopara brings to the table is the experience of playing 108 one day internationals across the globe. By now he and Bell should have been the spine of the team. But then this is England and one dayers are still looked down upon, and still do not get the same importance as Tests in England. It looks to me that winning the tests against India was everything England wanted out of this series. But a champion side needs to win in all formats, lest bad form and vibes affect their team in their favorite format. As a result, Englands' sedate yet solid start at the top by Cook and Hales was squandered away. A good side would have notched up 275+ after that kind of start.
But unfortunately for England the pitch was 'Made in India' and Ashwin and Co. made full use of it. Dhoni must have been delighted. You seldom catch him smiling behind the stumps, but he did so on more than couple of occasions. Why wont he? This was a complete performance and the horrid days of the test losses seems like distant memory. Dhoni would like to believe all is well, atleast in this format, and India look well prepared for next year's world cup.
But the caveat is that one or two performances do not mean ever lasting success. India are still unsettled with the their opening partners. Rohit has been inconsistent of late, and is injured. It will be interesting to see how he copes with the injury and how fast he proves his form and fitness before the World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan has looked out of sorts, and his lack of runs means India have never started with a 100 run partnership at the top for some time now. Vijay has not opened in this format for a long time, although his big hitting exploits in the IPL are well known.
But I feel Rahane is the best choice to open in Australian conditions. He is technically sound, and scores at a pretty ominous pace. If Rahane plays well in subsequent matches in England, Dhoni needs to ponder whether he has a better option in Rahane than anyone else to open in Australia later this year and next year. Rohit can go back to the middle order, and India have a lot of options in the slot vacated by Rahane in the middle order if Rohit flirts with inconsistency. Rayudu, Binny and possibly even Yuvraj Singh and Manoj Tiwary. And with Sanju Samson waiting in the wings under a rich vein of form, middle order options are multifarious.
Mohammad Shami has looked fresh and that is good for India. He has been pacy, nasty and accurate. Which means he has kept Umesh Yadav out of the side. Yadav does warrant a look in, once India seal the series with another win. India may need him in Australia. And the team managament would surely like to have all guns well oiled before departing for Australia.
I am also disappointed with the way Bell and Morgan have played in the tournament. Both have got out and would feel unlucky on both occasions, but they need to fire as the senior lynchpins of the side. In the absence of the mercurial Pietersen, if England have any chance at the WC next year, these two have to be in good shape. Both can play the big innings and Morgan can be deathly for any opponent in the dying overs of the innings. If the two results have been so lopsided so far for England it is because Morgan has not been able to deliver. I bet Morgan is itching for a big innings to silence his critics and stake his claims for the captaincy just before the World Cup. England are better served under him for the shorter version. Let the likes of Hales and Co. bludgeon at the top. Bell, Ballance, Root can join in to accumulate and consolidate and then the late blitzkrieg by Morgan, Buttler, Bopara and Jordan is the ideal recipe for England's success next year.
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