Five Batsmen to watch out in the India-England limited-overs series

The Indian tour of England is all set to commence from the 3rd July with the limited overs series. This will be followed by the Test series next month. Currently, England are the No.1 ranked ODI side and are coming in after a complete whitewash against Australia.

As for India, they are ranked No.2 in the ICC rankings. While India has won four consecutive bilateral ODI series between both the nations, England enjoy the upper hand in T20Is.

The upcoming series promises to be an exciting one. The English batting has been in some extraordinary form in the recent past. On the other hand, India has always been known as a strong batting side. Hence, it's going to be an enthralling encounter on the cards.

Here we mention five batsmen who are the ones to be watched out for during the series:-

1. Virat Kohli

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016: Semi-Final: West Indies v India

The run machine is back to international cricket after a four-month break. The No.1 ODI batsman at the moment, Kohli would be raring to prove a point in the England tour. His previous stint here was disastrous. Coming back after having scored runs all over the world, England remains the only conquest left to conquer.

While he scored a century in the 2011 ODI series, his record in England against England isn’t that good. Also, with a lot of expectations on Virat’s shoulders, the Indian skipper would be looking forward to lead from the front. He enjoys an average of 41.86 against England overall.

However, it’s the lowest batting average he has against any nation, which defines the standards he has set for himself.

2. Jos Buttler

England v Australia - 1st NatWest International T20

The man in form, Jos Buttler has been a revelation in the English batting setup. Having scored 3 fifties and a century in the limited overs series versus the Aussies, Buttler is expected to be England’s go-to-man in the series. The most amazing aspect of Buttler is his versatility in the batting position. He can finish the job for England, he can bat in the middle or he can even start the innings with a bang.

The hosts would be counting on him to continue his splendour form during the IPL, followed by the recent exploits in the Australian series. With Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, India’s death bowling has already been weakened. Hence with Buttler predicted to go all bonkers at that stage, the Indians better rally some plans to dismiss him early into the innings. Because if he stays, England are always in the game.

3. MS Dhoni

South Africa v India - T20 International

For a player with the calibre of MS Dhoni, his record in England is certainly nowhere near great. With an average of 32.64 in England, Dhoni would be looking to turn the tables this time around. There’s no reason why he cannot. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in a splendid form which was witnessed in the IPL. His batting reminded fans of his vintage outings.

Dhoni is also just 33 runs away from the 10,000 run landmark in ODIs. He would become the 12th cricketer to achieve the feat and the only one with an average of 50 plus. What’s even noteworthy is the fact that all other batsmen in the list belong to the top order. For someone who has been redefining perceptions, he’ll be hoping to erase his poor run in England.

4. Jonny Bairstow

England v Australia - Vitality International T20

The English opener has displayed tremendous form in the recent past. He has scored four centuries and a half-century in his last 8 innings. With 864 runs in 16 ODIs, he leads the run tally this year as of now. His exploits at the top have been instrumental in setting a platform for England. The right-hander has managed to cross 50 just once in 6 innings against India. Bairstow would be looking to get that right.

The extraordinary thing about the opener is to score runs at a quick pace. We saw a lot of that in the series against Australia. This has also reflected well upon Jason Roy who was again outstanding in the recently concluded series. It will be interesting to see how well does Bairstow respond to Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball.

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5. KL Rahul

While he may be a doubtful starter in the ODIs, his performance in the IPL has awestruck everyone. The form, the agility and the excellence that he has portrayed has been second to none. It was clearly visible in his 70(36) knock against Ireland. For a batsman in such a high confidence, it would be criminal if he doesn’t get a chance in the One Dayers.

KL Rahul in his short ODI career had a horror series against England last year at home. Thus he would be looking to make amends this time around at his own backyard. Since this is his first ever tour to England, he would be looking forward to getting used to the conditions in advance. As in the T20Is, he’s going to be a potential threat at the top order for the England bowlers.