Combined India-Australia-England ODI XI

The Test matches are over and it is time to put on the coloured clothing on for India’s limited-overs leg of India’s tour to Australia. Joining India and Australia for the ODIs will be England and the three teams will fight it out in a Tri-nation tournament, prior to the start of the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on February 14th.Here’s a combined team of 11 players consisting of players from three teams taking part in the competition:

#1 David Warner

David Warner’s ODI stats might not be the greatest, but his cricketing career is certainly on the rise. The left-hander from New South Wales has amassed 1539 runs in 50 matches at an average of 31.40 with 2 centuries and 10 half-centuries. No matter which side he plays, he provides a destructive element at the top of the order and has the ability to get his team off to flying starts.

He can be extremely unorthodox with the spinners and can catch them off-guard by playing the switch hit.He will be one the key members in the Australian set-up for the upcoming World Cup at home.

#2 Aaron Finch

Joining Warner at the top will be his fellow countrymen, Aaron Finch.In the 36 ODIs that he has played thus far, the right-hander has scored 1304 runs at an average of 37.25 with 5 half-centuries and 5 centuries.

Finch's talent with the bat was there for one-and-all to see at the MCC Bicentenary fixture at Lords last year. when coming out to chase 294 for a win in 50 overs, he smashed the Rest-of-the World, consisting off Tino Best, Peter Siddle, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shahid Afridi to all parts of the ground, to finish on 181 not out in 145 balls and that ensured that the MCC XI won quite comfortably in the end.

He also showed that he can play the big innings for his country in the early parts of 2014, smashing a 128-ball 121 against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground(MCG).

#3 Virat Kohli

There’s no debate over who should bat at number 3.Virat Kohli is certainly a notch above the rest in the pecking order when it comes to batting at that position. In 146 ODIs, Kohli has amassed 6208 runs at an average of 52.61 with an astonishing 21 centuries and 33 fifties.

Some of Kohli’s best performances have come when he has batted in the number three position.The 133 not out against Sri Lanka at Hobart in 2012, when India needed to chase 320 in 40 overs is an innings that will be remembered as one of the great centuries scored in the years to come. He followed that knock with yet another brilliant one at Dhaka against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, where he scored 183 off 148 balls to help India chase down a mammoth target of 330 in 50 overs.

#4 Steve Smith

Steve Smith is coming off a dream Test series against India, but his form in the limited-overs format for Australia isn't the worst either. In 45 ODIS, the 25-year-old has scored 921 runs at an average of 31.75 with 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries.But, more importantly, the right-hander had a good time with the bat during the limited-overs series against South Africa that preceded the Tests against India.

In the fourth ODI at Melbourne, Australia was 98 for 5, chasing 268 for a win, when Smith in the company of Matthew Wade began the rescue act. The duo put on 121 for the sixth wicket before the latter was dismissed for 52. Smith, though, carried on to score his second ODI ton and helped Australia win the game by 3 wickets, by scoring 104 off 112 balls.

Prior to that effort, he smashed yet another hundred against Pakistan in Sharjah, that helped Australia set a target of 256 for the hosts in 50 overs.That total proved to be too much for them and the visitors won the game by 93 runs.

#5 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina might have had a horror time in the single Test that he played at Sydney, but there is no doubting his credentials in the limited-overs format for India. In 203 ODIs, the left-hander has scored 5051 runs at an average of 35.82 with 4 centuries and 32 half-centuries. One of Raina’’s best efforts with the bat came last year against England at Cardiff, where he scored exactly 100 off 75 balls, to help India post a match-winning total of 304 in 50 overs.

Although he hasn't scored many centuries, he has contributed a great deal to india’s victories in important games. His moist notable performance came in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final encounter against Australia at Ahmedabad, where he came in to join Yuvraj Singh and scored a composed 34 not out and put on 74 critical runs for the seventh wicket to help India register a four-wicket win and march their way into the semis.

#6 MS Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper)

There are few better ODI players in the world today than MS Dhoni.The 33-year-old has scored 8192 runs in 250 matches at an average of 52.85 with 9 centuries and 56 half-centuries. His best performances for India in limited-overs cricket have come when the team is under immense pressure.

One of his unforgettable efforts came in the 2011 World Cup final when he walked into bat with India 161 runs in under 28 overs, Dhoni played the innings of his life, scoring an unbeaten 79-ball 91 not out to guide India to the title after 28 long years.

His another brilliant performance came in the ODI against Australia in Adelaide where he scored an unbeaten 44 not out to help India beat the hosts by 4 wickets in a tense finish.

#7 James Faulkner

One of the best emerging cricketers in the world today, James Faulkner is the kind of seam bowling all-rounder that every side needs. He has played 33 ODIs for Australia and picked up 44 wickets at an economy of 5.66. But his big contributions for his country have come with the willow in hand, specifically when the team has found themselves in a bit of a spot.

In the 2013 ODI series against India, the 25-year-old smashed an 64 not out off 29 balls, that included a sensational 28 runs off one Ishant Sharma over. The knock helped the Aussies win the game with 4 balls to spare and he was rightfully adjudged the man-of-the-match.

A few months later, the right-hander played yet another exceptional innings down the order, this time versus England at Brisbane, scoring an unbeaten 69 not out off 47 balls to guide his side to an incredible on wicket win over the visitors.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja might not have had a great start to his Test career, but there’s no doubt that he’s an asset for India in the limited-overs format of the game. In 109 ODIs, the 26-year-old has taken 134 wickets at an economy of 4.79. He has also proved to be handy with the bat, amassing 1691 runs at an average of 34.51 and a best of 87.

Perhaps Jadeja’s best all-around performance came in the Champions Trophy final in 2013 against England at Edgbaston. First with the bat, Jadeja scored a crucial 33 not out off 25 balls that propelled India to a score of 129 for 7 in 20 overs.

Then with the ball, he spun a web around the England batsman, picking up 2 for 24 in 4 overs, that played an important role in the Englishman eventually falling short of the target by 5 runs.He was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his all-round effort in that game.

#9 Mitchell Johnson

As brilliant as he has been for Australia with the ball in Tests, Mitchell Johnson has been equally effective for his country in the limited-overs format of the game as well. In 144 ODIs, the left-armer has picked up 221 wickets at an economy of 4.82.

Some of his good performances came early on in his career. He bowled a spell of 4 for 11 against India in a Tri-nation tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and had rain not arrived that day, could’ve inflicted further damage on the Indian batting line-up. His next best spell also came versus India in Baroda in 2007, where he took 5 for 26 and played a key role in bowling the hosts out for 148.

But his best performance came 4 years later in Pallekele, where he dismissed 6 batsman for 31 runs that helped his side bowl out the Lankans for 191. That total was never going to be enough as the Australia romped home with 7 wickets in hand.

Along with being an excellent bowler, Johnson is also a handy batsman lower down the order, who can smack a few out of the park, if needed.

#10 Mitchell Starc

One of the best fast bowlers among the younger crop, Mitchell Starc has played 28 ODIs for Australia and has picked up 44 wickets at an economy fo 5.01. His best bowling performance came against the West Indies at Perth in 2013, where he picked up 5 wickets for 20 in 6.5 overs to skittle the West Indies out for a mere 70 runs.In the following match, the left-armer took yet another five-wicket haul, this time conceding 32 runs in 8 overs.

Starc is also a decent batsman lower down the order and can make useful contributions as and when needed by his side.

#11 James Anderson

One of the best new ball bowlers of all time, James Anderson has played 184 ODIs for England and has picked up 257 wickets at an economy of 4.79.The 32-year-old’s best bowling effort came in 2009 versus South Africa at Port Elizabeth where he took 5 for 23 to put bowl a strong South African line-up, consisting of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers out for 119.

He produced yet another good performance in 2013 at Napier, where he took 5 for 34 in 9.5 overs to help restrict New Zealand to 269.Anderson’s strength is his ability to move the ball and give early wickets for his side.He can also be useful with the ball at the end of the innings and hence, can be counted as an asset for whichever, side that he plays for.