India v England, 3rd ODI: Preview

The under-fire Indian unit put up a fine show in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, to thump hosts, England, by a humongous margin of 133 runs. The first game of the series at Bristol was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to incessant rain. With India registering a facile win in the second ODI, the hosts find themselves under pressure. England certainly need to show that tunnel-visioned aim to script a comeback in the ODI series.

England

The hosts, who ruled the roost in the Test series, came up a cropper in the second ODI. It was an abject poor performance from them. The bowlers lost the plot under pressure in the end overs, and the batsmen just didn't seem to have a clue of how to pace an innings, while chasing down a target in excess of 300. To make it even worse for the hosts, even the fielding wasn't up to the mark.

It is imperative that England have a re-look at their bowling line-up. Chris Jordan looked short of international class in the second ODI. On occasions, Jordan has shone brightly as a wicket-taker in the shorter format of the game. However, he just hasn't been consistent enough. James Anderson, who has clearly been the shining light of England's pace attack in ODIs since World Cup 2011, was also was slightly below par. There were times when he drifted on the pads of the Indian batsmen. Yet, he has enough experience and the stamp of class to bounce back in the series.

From England's perspective though, it was encouraging to see that Chris Woakes did land a few blows on the Indian line-up by taking wickets. Steven Finn, with his extra pace and bounce or Harry Gurney, the left-arm quick may replace Jordan for the next match. Gurney in particular, brings that variety to the line-up with his left-armer's angle.

For many years now, England have struggled to chase down tall scores in excess of 300. They seem to press the panic button too early and lose their way. With the skipper himself, Alistair Cook, struggling to notch up big scores at a good strike rate, the middle-order usually finds itself under undue pressure. It is perhaps unfair to expect Alex Hales with just one ODI under his belt to carry England's batting line-up. For the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes to leave an indelible mark on the proceedings, the top-order has to fire on all cylinders.

India

India, who looked battered and bruised during the Test series, played with renewed zest and vigour to win the second ODI. Suresh Raina, who has come under the scrutiny for not performing well away from the Asia, compiled his first ODI hundred outside Asia. The bowlers too bowled good lines and lengths, and with a big heart. The ground fielding was of acceptable standards.

India was helped by the fact that Rohit Sharma to some extent was able to negate the threat of Anderson upfront. However, unfortunately, Rohit has been ruled out of the rest of the ODI series with a fractured finger. Vijay, who did well in the Test series has been named as his replacement. It also has to be said that MS Dhoni continues to be a pillar of strength in the middle-order, and he brings that assuredness to the Indian camp.

Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, who struggled to showcase their wares in the Test series, got out cheaply in the second match. Ajinkya Rahane did get a start, but wasn't able to convert it into a big one. Now, that is a bit of a worry for the Indian camp as they are key players and the team management will be hoping that they get amongst the runs soon.

Going into the third ODI, it is crystal clear that England's batsmen still haven't worked out how to keep the scoreboard ticking by placing the ball into gaps against spinners. It has to be remembered that Ravindra Jadeja has outfoxed the opposition ranks many times in his ODI career. In fact, he averages 16.8 for his 20 wickets against England. Even in the last game at Bristol, he took four wickets for a mere 28 runs. It is a boon to have a good slow left-arm orthodox in the ODI format especially, against England. Jadeja bowls the right sort of pace for this format as well. Ashwin too gave a good account of himself in the last game.

Among the pacers, Mohit Sharma bowled good lines to Alastair Cook by slanting it across the left-handed batsman. However, he perhaps needs to learn to make those subtle changes in length to deliver the coup de grace. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami were on the money on most occasions.

Ground conditions

Trent Bridge, a ground steeped in history, has been known for assisting swing/seam bowlers over the years. The legend has it, the moist air from the Trent river across the ground leads to humid conditions. It is also believed that since Radcliffe stand came into existence in 1998, it has swung prodigiously. The logic for that is it has resulted in air circulation getting reduced.

In recent times though, the track have favoured the batsmen. The much-improved sand-based drainage system has perhaps played a role in that regard. In fact, the track for the first Test match played between England and India turned out to be a featherbed. However, just like always, weather conditions can play a vital part in the preparation of the pitch in England. The forecast for the day is for light showers.

Trivia

Alistair Cook needs 14 runs to reach the landmark of 3,000 ODI runs.

Joe Root required another 28 runs to complete 1,000 ODI runs.

India have won only one out of the four games they have played at the ground.

Quotes

This knock is one of the most special ones for me given the circumstances and the conditions. We hadn't won the game in a long time and to help the team break that jinx with a century was very satisfying: Suresh Raina, after the 2nd ODI.