India vs England – 1st One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is India vs England taking place? Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021 – 08:00 (UK)
Where is India vs England taking place? Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
What is the expected weather for India vs England? 36c with sunshine forecast
What channel is India vs England on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404)
Where can I stream India vs England? The match can be streamed live the SkyGo app
LAST MEETING
England beat India by 31 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
INDIA
- This series represents the first action in the 50-over format for India in 2021 and it will be their first at home in over a year as they lost their last two series in New Zealand and Australia in the winter where they lost five of their six matches.
- Their approach in the final T20 match could be replicated here as they may discard a sixth batsmen to go with another all-rounder so Washington Sundar or Krunal Pandya could get the nod over the struggling KL Rahul.
- Skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan would open the batting for the hosts but otherwise this team will not be that much different from the side which played and won the final T20.
ENGLAND
- Despite losing the T20 series in the deciding game, England will not be too disheartened by that defeat as they return to 50-over action where they are the world champions and have an excellent recent record.
- They are without Jofra Archer, Joe Root and Chris Woakes for this series as they are all being held out but they still possess plenty of quality in their ranks as the likes of Moeen Ali and Sam Billings are expected to finally be given some game time.
- The batting order will be rejigged with Jonny Bairstow moving back up to partner Jason Roy, with Ben Stokes at three and Jos Buttler dropping down the order but while their bowling looks a little light without Archer, their batting remains incredibly deep.
THE PREDICTION
After some superb Test and T20 action, the ODI series between India and England gets under way in what promises to be another close-fought series. England’s squad may be slightly stronger in this format of the game but they are weakened by the absence of Jofra Archer especially. They will also miss Joe Root but the quality and depth of their batting is better than any team in the world right now. India have plenty of quality at their disposal too and they will be confident of doing well in this format too. The T20 win will give them a major boost but they are still without Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja who will both be missed even more so in the 50-over game. England’s depth with the bat may just give them the edge but that relies on some newcomers like Moeen Ali and Sam Billings hitting the ground running which will not be easy. With continuity key, India are marginally preferred to win this opener.
