After winning the T20 series, men in blues will play the first match of the three-match series against the host at The Oval today. In T20, visitors adopted a very aggressive batting strategy. This strategy can be continued in ODIs as well. However, bad news has come for the Indian camp before the match. Indian star Virat Kohli is battling a groin injury. He may be out of this match. The match will start at 5:30 pm as per Indian Standard Time. While The toss will take place at 5:00.
Test Captain Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root were not part of the English team in the T20I series. These three stars have returned for the ODI series. That is, England is about to play with a full-strength team. Jason Roy and Jos Buttler can open the innings. At the same time, Jonny Bairstow can bat in the middle order. Similarly, Joe Root at number-3, Liam Livingston at number-4, and Test team captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes at number-5 can get a chance.
Pitch Report
The Oval has some extra bounce which assists the bowlers. The team that batted first has won 7 matches and lost matches in this format. Hence toss winning team may choose to bat first here. The overcast condition always favors the pacers too.
Weather Forecast
The good news from The Oval is the weather forecast for today’s match is good for the game of cricket. Rain is not expected throughout the game time. Fans can see the full 50-50 overs match.
Temperature- 31/20
Wind- 11 km/h
Humidity- 44%
Chances of Rain- 0%
Head to Head
India is leading the head-to-head battle between the two teams. Both teams have played 103 One day Internationals so far. In which, India won 55 while England won 43. Two matches remained tied and 3 had no result.
The return of Shikhar Dhawan
ODI specialist Shikhar Dhawan’s return as an opener in the Indian team is almost certain. Shikhar will open with captain Rohit Sharma. If Kohli is fit, he will play at number 3. If Virat does not play, then Shreyas Iyer can get a chance at that place. Similarly, Suryakumar Yadav can be seen batting at number-4 and Pant at number-5. All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will play at no 6 and 7 simultaneously.