India's predicted playing XI against England for the 1st ODI

The Indian Cricket Team started their series against England brightly. They won the T20I series 2-1 and impressed one and all with their performance. They won the first match but couldn't carry the same momentum into the next encounter as they lost it. However, they did come back strongly and won the third T20I by 3 wickets courtesy a Rohit Sharma special.

The ODI series promises to be an interesting one as both the top ranked teams will go head to head. England sits on top of the table with 126 points whereas India has 122 points and are placed second. India can displace England from the top if they defeat them 3-0. A 2-1 victory wouldn't be enough as that would keep England on 125 points and India on 123.

India and England have adopted two contrasting styles of play but both have been equally successful. On one side England treat ODI's as an extended version of the T20 format and on the other hand, India play it the old fashioned way by keeping wickets in hand before going berserk in the last 10-15 overs. It should be a mouth watering clash on the 12th of July at Trent Bridge.

Here's a look at India's probable playing XI for the first ODI against England.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan was in the form of his life until he hit a road block against England in the T20I's. He could only muster 19 runs from the three matches and this isn't great for India as Dhawan generally takes some time to get back into form after struggling for a few matches. 'Gabbar' has scored 4361 runs in 102 matches at a strike rate of 93.44. He enjoys batting in England as has scored 856 runs in the at a strike rate of 100.

Rohit Sharma's form has been in stark contrast when compared to Dhawan's. He was in pathetic form just before the tour of England but his fortunes changed rapidly as he scored 137 runs in the T20I series including a century. The Hitman has scored 6594 runs in 174 innings at a strike rate of 87. While batting in England, he has scored 533 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 79.43.

Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul

Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world without a doubt. He has scored runs against all oppositions at all places. He scored 110 runs in the T20I series against England and looked in very good touch. King Kohli has scored 9588 runs in 200 ODI innings at a phenomenal strike rate of 92 and has scored 682 runs in 19 matches in England at a strike rate of 90.81. He will look forward to demolishing the English bowlers come the 12th of July.

KL Rahul has hit a purple patch in his career which has been evident since the beginning of this year's IPL. He scored more than 600 runs in the IPL and carried that form into England and Ireland. He scored 70 against Ireland and followed it up with a 100 against England. However, he failed to make an impact in the next two. He has scored 248 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 81 in the ODI format.

Shreyas Iyer is a newcomer into the Indian team and has already blossomed. The 23 year old was seen captaining the India 'A' team in the 'A' team tri series that was held in England, recently. He had a few notable scores in that series and will look to use that experience when he plays for India in the ODI series. He has scored 210 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 96.33.

MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

MS Dhoni has come back to life thanks to IPL 2018. He was hitting runs for fun in this year's IPL and got the runs at a strike rate in excess of 155. MSD could only bat once in the T20 series and he made the most of the opportunity as he scored 32 runs in 24 balls. He has scored 9967 runs in 272 innings at a strike rate of 88.4 in the 50 over format. He scored 586 runs in 18 innings at England at a strike rate of 87.

Hardik Pandya has made a name for himself as one of the best all rounders in the present world due to his excellent hitting abilities and wicket taking skills. He has given the Indian team a much more balanced look and delivered several match winning performances. He has a strike rate of 116 in ODI cricket and has picked up 39 wickets in 38 matches while conceding at 5.45.

He has a strike rate of 195 in England and has scalped 4 wickets in 5 matches at an economy rate of 6.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had a torrid time over the last 3-4 months due to the injury problems he has had. He also missed the last T20I against England due to a stiff back. He will spearhead the bowling attack and his form will be vital for India's fortunes. The swing king has picked up 90 wickets in 86 matches at an economy rate of 5. In England, he has picked up 18 wickets in 14 matches while conceding at 4.3 per over.

Kuldeep Yadav has gone on to establish himself as one of the best spinners in the limited overs format over the last year. The chinaman bowler has formed a lethal bowling partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal for India. picked up 5 wickets in the first T20I but looked bleak in the second match. He has picked up 39 wickets in 18 matches at an economy rate of 4.8.

Yuzvendra Chahal has been as good as Kuldeep Yadav for India. He has been a match winner for India and is perhaps the best spinner in the country. He has always had Virat Kohli's faith in him and that shows how good he is. The leg spinner has picked up 42 wickets in 25 matches at an economy rate of 4.76. Although he picked up only 1 wicket in the T20 series against England, one can expect him to deliver in the ODIs.

Siddarth Kaul's rise has been rapid and an excellent one to watch. He made a name for himself during IPL 2017 when he established himself as a capable bowler and bettered his performances in this year's IPL and hence earned a national call-up. He has played 2 T20I's so far and picked up 3 wickets at an economy of 6.5.

He has picked up 112 wickets in his 61 List A games at an economy of 5. He is yet to make his ODI debut.