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India vs England 1st ODI Preview: MS Dhoni & Co. look for victory against England at Bristol to overcome loss in Test series

India will play the first of the five-match ODI series against England at Bristol on Monday.

Published: August 24, 2014 6:30 PM IST

By Aayush Puthran

There are many a wounds to be healed. And if you are a Virat Kohli, there are many an unwanted critics to hit back at as India prepare to take on England in the first One-Day International of the five-match series at Bristol on Monday.

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The start of the 50-over game serves as a much-needed welcome for the MS Dhoni-led side, which seemed to have had no end to their despair in the five-match long Test series. The inclusion of Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar is also likely to have rejuvenated the young Indian side that had made a meek surrender a few days back.

The batting line-up is likely to see some much needed change with Rohit Sharma likely to start the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan. However, given Ajinkya Rahane’s good form, he might be promoted up the order. The move will also allow Dhoni to play with both Amabati Rayudu, who scored a fifty in the warm-up match against Middlesex, and Suresh Rain in the middle-order.

Dhawan looks far removed from his form that earned him the Player of the Tournament in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy that was played in England. He may not get too many chances to prove himself going into the ODI tournament.

The bowling too doesn’t inspire much confidence, but India is likely to play with both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Even as the duo helped India win the crucial final encounter of the Champions Trophy last year against the hosts, not much would be expected of them this time around. The pace attack, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have to burden most of the responsibilities. Umesh Yadav and Shami Ahmed will prove crucial in the set-up with their pace.

A lot apart from the team performance is under question. Has Duncan Fletcher been given a rope too long? Will Dhoni get away with a better performance in ODIs?  Did it make sense to change the support staff mid-way through a tour? Will Virat Kohli prove again that he is indeed one of the best batsmen in the world currently?

Squad:

India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes

Time: 10:30 GMT | 15:00 IST

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