Predicted XI for India for the ODI Series against England

India begin a new year of cricket on Sunday, with the limited-overs side set to take on England in a three-match ODI and T20I series, which starts at the Gahunje Stadium in Pune.

Ahead of that, we look at the Predicted XI for the ODI series:

Top Order

1.Shikhar Dhawan

The left-hander, who will play a couple of warm-up matches, prior to the start of the ODIs, will look to get off to a good start in the new year. Dhawan played in just one ODI series in 2016 against Australia at the start of last year and made 287 runs in 5 matches at an average of 57.40.

The year 2017 will see in all probably open the innings at the Champions Trophy, the event which kick-started his international career and he will want to go into the event in June, on the back of a good series against England at home.

2.KL Rahul

The right-hander made his debut in ODI cricket in 2016 and what a start he had to his 50-over career, smashing a hundred against Zimbabwe at Harare. He did well in the remaining two ODIs as well, showing that he was not merely a one format player.

In the T20I series against West Indies, Rahul batted at Number 4 and scored a ton, but he could take Ajinkya Rahane's place at the opening slot and if that happens to be the case on Sunday, will look to begin the year on a blazing note in Pune.

3.Virat Kohli(C)

Sunday will see the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket with Virat Kohli taking over the reigns full-time from MS Dhoni and after having a sensational 2016, the right-hander will now look to carry forward from where he had left off in 2016.

Kohli has not let the Test captaincy affect his batting and if he can separate batting and leadership in the limited-overs format, the surely India would have yet another superb leader who could take India to much greater heights.

Middle Order

4.MS Dhoni

For the first time in over 9 years, MS Dhoni will player merely as a wicket-keeper batsman in the Indian team. There is no doubt that for every fan watching the game at the ground in Pune and at home, it will be a different feeling.

From his own perspective, this is the ideal time for him to get up the order and make some valuable contributions for the team. While leading, Dhoni gave the younger players an opportunity to go and express themselves.

Now it is his time to do that for himself and it will please his massive fan base no end if he can show glimpses of his past and play an aggressive style of play, which one saw with not so often during his tenure as captain.

5.Yuvraj Singh

Making a comeback to the ODI team a gap of three years, Yuvraj Singh will know that like Dhoni, he too is in the final stage of a successful career and will need to start showing his experience in the middle-order.

Several diverse opinions have emerged on his selection in the team, but now that he has been picked, he will need to show that he still has got it in him to deliver on the international stage and if he can do that, then it will surely relieve a key middle-order headache for Kohli and the management.

6.Kedar Jadhav

A slot where India needs to find some reliability, particularly if Dhoni intends to bat higher up the order is the Number 6 position. Among the options that they have is Kedar Jadhav, who has done that job for his franchises in the IPL, but is yet to put in a substantial performance for India at that spot.

It will be interesting to see how many chances he receives to prove he has got it in him to do well over there, considering Manish Pandey is also a contender for that position, but if he can put in one exceptional performance, then he could well keep that spot for himself for a while.

Lower Order

7.Hardik Pandya

For a long time during Dhoni’s tenure as captain, one element which he constantly harped the need for a seam- bowling all-rounder. Towards the end, he seemed to have found a couple of options in Stuart Binny and Rishi Dhawan, but neither could live up to the expectations.

But in the T20I leg of India's tour to Australia, Hardik Pandya emerged as someone, who could be invested for the future. The Baroda lad looked good if not thoroughly ready for international cricket and has certainly improved a lot after his time with the India A side Down Under.

With the Champions Trophy coming up in six months time, Pandya will look to begin the year on a good note and cement his place for that event in England.

8.Ravindra Jadeja

Playing his first limited-overs series since the West Indies T20Is in Florida, Ravindra Jadeja will look to carry his Test form into limited-overs, which was initially his primary format. The Saurashtra all-rounder has been a vital cog in India’s limited-overs wheel and had it not been for the long home season, would have featured in the series against New Zealand at home.

However, he now has six international matches to get into the limited-overs groove and it goes without saying Kohli will expect him to do an all-around job with the bat, ball and in the field.

9.Ravichandran Ashwin

Just like Jadeja, Ashwin will also be playing a limited-overs series after a considerable amount of time. The 30-year-old who had such a staggering 2016 with the ball, will look to begin the new year with a good showing in the limited-overs series against England.

Ashwin had an exceptional time with the ball against the same opposition towards the end of 2016 and will once again play a key role in coloured clothing. Kohli will look to employ him in the middle of the innings when the likes of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes are in the middle and will depend on him to remove both players cheaply.

10.Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

The Uttar Pradesh cricketer seems to have regained his past form in the past 6-8 months, swinging the ball at good pace to trouble the batsman. Bhuvi also displayed good death bowling skills for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in last year’s IPL and is he can deliver in the last few overs in India colours, then he will have surely bolstered that aspect of the Indian bowling as well.

One thing that he will need to guard from is his injuries, which has hampered his progress a bit in recent times and if he can remain fit for longer periods, then he will surely be an asset for Kohli in the side.

11.Jasprit Bumrah

One player who has already become a key component of the bowling arsenal in just 12 months since making his debut is Jasprit Bumrah. The Gujarat cricketer has solved one of India’s biggest issues, that of a quality death bowler and will be relied upon heavily by Kohli, at the start and at the end of the innings.

One of the things that made such a difficult customer in 2016 was his awkward action and he will look to use that element to good effect in 2017 as well and provide India with some key breakthroughs with the ball.