England vs India Combined XI
Combined XI for the 2021 India vs England ODI Series, it is mainly based on the performance of individuals in this series
All statistics and information correct at 26/03/21 (GMT)
After England’s comprehensive 6-wicket victory over India, the series is tied at 1-1 and is all to play for in the final ODI on Sunday. Ahead of that, I’ve picked a combined XI that is composed of the strongest performers of this series so far. Please comment down below if you agree with this.
Feel free to share this article if you enjoyed it!
1) Jonny Bairstow:
England’s legendary white ball opener has gone huge this series, with a blistering 94 off 66 in the first game and a well calculated 124 (off 112 balls) in the second game. He has been the leading run scorer of this series with a total of 218 runs at an average of 109 and a sublime strike rate of 122.4. He has without a doubt been the most consistent batsman of this series and potentially even the most consistent batsman of this English white ball side. Jonny’s overall ODI average of 47.5 would mean that he would probably walk into any modern-day white ball side, regardless of recent form. His form only adds cement to his spot in this XI.
2) Shikhar Dhawan:
Though the left-handed opening batsman only managed 4 runs from 17 balls in the second ODI, his score of 98 in the 1st game was vital in setting up a platform for Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul to advance on. With 102 runs at an average of 51 and a strike rate of 82.9, it would be tough to disregard Dhawan’s efforts this series, despite the brilliance of Jason Roy, who is perhaps unlucky to miss out after two explosive innings in which he set the tone of England’s innings. Roy has offered Dhawan competition for this spot after averaging 50.5 runs this series, while striking at 116. However, Roy’s failure to convert any of his starts to big innings, means that he loses his spot to Dhawan who went big in the first game with a match-winning 98 that sealed the game for the hosts.
3) Virat Kohli (C):
The Indian talisman has impressed this series with respectable scores of 66 and 56, both of which were at a reasonable strike rate. However, many fans would be well aware of the fact that it has been a while since Kohli has tonned up in the ODI format. Whilst, Kohli may not be too bothered about his personal records, it goes without saying that a ton from the Indian skipper would explicitly aid India in their bid to rack up huge first innings scores, which has been made tougher given how this English side seem competent enough to chase any total set for them. Whether Kohli will manage to reach the magic 3-digit score on Saturday is something we will have to wait and see, nonetheless you can never complain about someone averaging 61 while striking at 87 in two games, so Kohli comfortably makes this team as captain.
4) KL Rahul:
After an abysmal iT20 series against England, Rahul has bounced back and silenced the critics with two crucial knocks for his side. Rahul’s knock in the first innings was full of character and perseverance. When India were 205/5 in the forty-first over, it seemed England would be able to force a collapse in India’s batting line-up and restrict them to below 300. However, it was not to be, as Rahul and Krunal Pandya stitched together a 100+ run partnership that boosted India to 317 at the end of the 300th (legal) delivery. And, let’s not forget that brilliant hundred in the second game that was crucial in the context of the game as it gave a platform for Rishabh Pant to work with, therefore allowing Pant to play his naturally aggressive game. Though Rahul’s century wasn’t match-winning, it was full of guts and resilience and this was shown in hiss celebration. Overall, Rahul’s series so far has been brilliant with him scoring 170 runs at an average of the same number. His strike rate has been equally impressive: 108! Rahul has shown that it is not fair to judge a player on 1 poor series, as all players will have bad days and it takes a lot of courage to bounce back from poor form. Rahul has done just that, hence he makes this XI!
5) Ben Stokes:
Despite Stokes’ blistering 99 off 52 deliveries whilst batting at 3, Stokes has been slotted down to number 5 (where he will most likely bat when Joe Root returns) in this XI, this is mainly down to the consistency of Rahul and Kohli in their respective positions. Nonetheless, Stokes has been excellent during this series with ball, having picked up 3 wickets at an average of 25.3 and an economy of 5.8. However, it has been his performances with the bat that have really made the headlines. Stokes has scored 100 runs this series at an average of 50, while striking at an impressive 158! These statistics have without a doubt made Stokes the best all-rounder of the series (though Moeen Ali the Currans and the Pandyas haven’t offered Stokes much competition).
6) Rishabh Pant (WK):
After the injury of Shreyas Iyer in the first ODI, Pant was called into the Indian XI to fill in the shoes of the explosive Iyer. It is fair to say that Pant has filled in those shoes, superbly! Though it was Rahul’s knock that gave balance to India’s innings, Pant’s blistering 77 off 40 was what propelled India to 337. Pant’s mature and creative innings further showed his value to this Indian side. Pant strolls into this side as his only competitor, Jos Buttler, has not had a great series with an average of 1 and several dropped catches, so Pant is a clear winner for this spot in the XI.
7) Hardik Pandya:
Given how Hardik has not bowled a single ball in this series (so far), we can perhaps deduce that Hardik's sole role in the team is to be an explosive lower-middle order batsman. With that said, Hardik has only faced 25 balls this series, but has showcased his ability to make a huge impact in a short period of time, with a total of 36 runs across the two innings at a strike rate of 144, which is crucial given how low down the order he bats! Pandya’s lower-order fireworks comfortably gives him a spot in this team.
8) Moeen Ali:
Moeen has had a tough winter! He contracted COVID-19; missed the Sri Lanka tests, only played 1 test against India; got sent home; became the centre of controversy after misleading statements from Root and Silverwood; and all of that to miss every 1 of the 5 recent iT20’s! Nonetheless, it’s great to see that he has been picked for these ODI’s and he has been the best spinner of this series so far! The off-spinner has failed to pick up any wickets so far, but has bowled 13 overs and conceded 75 runs at an economy of 5.77, the best economy out of all spinners this series (Other spinners’ economies: Rashid (6.89), Kuldeep (8), Krunal (8.19))! An economy of less than 6 is impressive considering the hammering given to all other spinners this series. Moeen’s only innings this series came when his side were in desperate trouble in the first game, Moeen managed to battle to 30 before being dismissed by a beauty by no less than Bhuvneshwar Kumar! After Roy and Bairstow, he looked the only batsman to show some sign of responsibility that game. His reliability this series makes him a suitable choice for number 8.
9) Prasidh Krishna:
Krishna has made an impressive start to his international career with 6 wickets this series at an economy of 6.17, which is solid given how the pitch favours the batsmen! In both the games, Krishna has gotten of to a nervous start, bowling full and short balls, but has bounced back with some incredible yorkers. He is without a doubt a reliable bowling option for India in the near-future!
10) Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
Precise, calm, disciplined are some of the words to describe Bhuvneshwar as a person and as a bowler! He has been described as skilful and he deserves it as he has been the most reliable bowler in the white-ball leg of this tour. So far in the ODI series, Bhuvi has picked up 3 wickets for 93 runs at an economy of 4.89! Those statistics are fantastic given how he has had to bowl to the world-class duo of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow whom honestly seemed unstoppable in both the games. It would be cruel not to pick the most consistent bowler of this series and the iT20 series, hence Kumar strolls into this team.
11) Reece Topley:
Over the last few years, injuries have proved to be the only thing preventing Topley from achieving greatness in an England shirt. His performance, on Friday, was stunning given the huge amount of lows in his career! His figures of 2/50 (at an economy of 6.25) were a result of perseverance and patience. Topley correctly utilised his height to generate extra bounce and swing. This resulted in him being excellent in the death overs and England have him to thank for stopping India from reaching the 350 mark! Furthermore, Topley also bagged the key wickets of the in-form Hardik and the white-ball great Rohit Sharma. I have no doubt that he will be England’s key bowler in the next ODI, hence he makes this XI.