By: Sandipan Bose
Like always, toss could be an important factor when India-England three-match ODI series gets underway from Sunday onwards. The first two warm-up games in Mumbai’s Brabourne stadium made a point that chasing is turning out to be the best option.
With dew on the field, the ball seemed to have come nicely onto the bat. That is why the team winning the toss would naturally have a slight edge over the opponent batting first.
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In the first warm-up match between England and India A, stars like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were a part of the playing XI still they couldn’t make their team win. While batting first, India A made a very competitive 304 after Ambati Rayudu and Dhoni were the top performers.
But England came back with some strong batting display at the top of the order. Even the middle-order batting which struggled against India during the five-match Test series came good. India A were left high and dry after England walked off with the match.
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Similarly in the second game, England batted first and lost the game against India A, who were chasing. The visitors were all out for 282 and, in reply, India A rounded up the match with 62 balls to spare. The pace at which the likes of Ajinkya Rahane chased down the winning target is something, which may make the toss factor very crucial.
The Indian cricket board would take all appropriate steps to ensure that the dew factor don’t affect the game much. But in venues like Pune, Cuttack and Kolkata – it may impact the game.
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It is also important to note that this isn’t the same struggling England’s Test team under Alastair Cook, which went down against India in the five-match Test series by a 4-0 margin. This is a different team in a different format.
Which means, it won’t be a cake-walk for the hosts.
England have shown signs of improvement in the first warm-up game against India A, which had most of the regular playing members of the Indian team. But at least, as a fan, expect an even contest between bat and ball.
