After a long break following the hectic Test series between India and England, the two teams will face off in the three-match ODI series with the first one on Sunday at Pune. With less than six months to go for the ICC Champions Trophy, this series will be one that both the teams take seriously in order to find their best combinations.
All eyes will be on how India, under the leadership of newly appointed limited-overs captain, Virat Kohli will approach the limited-overs game after so many years of success under former captain MS Dhoni. England, on the other hand, will be motivated to fight back hard and give a fitting response after an embarrassing 4-0 loss in the Test series.
Although, usual suspects like Kohli and Joe Root will most likely continue their good form, a few underrated players can be expected to take some of the limelight and boost their teams’ chances of winning the series. Here we take a look at five such bargain buys you should purchase in your Oye Captain fantasy teams:
#5 Adil Rashid (Bowler) – 7.5
In a Test series that saw England beaten in a convincing manner by the home side, there were just a few positives for the visitors – one of them being leg-spinner, Adil Rashid’s form. Rashid was England’s best bowler and improvised very well on pitches that did not offer much assistance to spinners.
In the 5 matches, Rashid picked up 23 wickets at a respectable average of 37.43. 7 of his wickets came in the first Test at Rajkot, where England were easily the better side. In contrast, India’s best spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, picked up only 3 wickets in the same Test. Although this is a different format, Rashid will be full of confidence to carry on his form from the longer format. His ability to bat well too makes him a real bargain at 7.5 which makes him the cheapest player in both the teams’ rosters.
#4 Sam Billings (Batsman) – 8.5
Sam Billings might be considered as a fringe player by some, but anyone who watched the first warm-up game against India A would have seen what exactly the 25-year-old is capable of. His wonderful knock of 93 helped England chase down a 300+ total with relative ease.
Even though he only has an ODI experience of just 5 innings, it has to be noted that he has always been improving, with each of his scores bettering the previous ones. His last one was a 62 against Bangladesh. If the trend continues, he can be expected to score another half-century. His average of 30.40 in 5 innings comes at a strike rate of 110.94, which is quite phenomenal for the 50-over format.
At a price of 8.5, Billings can be a trustworthy pick as his experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will come in handy in the subcontinent. The youngster from Kent is also a livewire in the field and can very well fetch points through his fielding.
#3 Hardik Pandya (All-rounder) – 8
After having made it to the Indian side, storming his way through on his performances in the IPL, Hardik Pandya has not really been able to match up to the standards he set for himself in the T20 league. However, off late, he has been working hard on his game and has shown vast amounts of improvement, especially in the bowling department.
Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, Pandya was used as an opening bowler, even in the first warm-up game on January 10. This could very well continue under Kohli’s captaincy too, as the Baroda native has proved himself to be accurate in the early part of the innings. Costing just 8, Pandya is a must-have with his improved bowling as well as his power hitting, which will come very well in handy in the latter part of the batting innings.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan (Batsman) – 8.5
It has nearly been a year since Shikhar Dhawan last played an ODI for India. His last limited-overs match was during the World T20 in 2016. Despite this gap, there is no denying the fact that Dhawan is one of the best ODI players around. In India’s tour of Australia in early 2016, the 31-year-old scored two fifties and one hundred to finish the series with an average of 57.40 and a strike rate of 100.34.
In the first warm-up game, Dhawan took his time to get settled into the game. However, once he found his rhythm, he was able to play his shots easily and got himself a well-deserved fifty. Playing in home conditions might just be the perfect environment for Dhawan to make his comeback to the national side. At a price of only 8.5, Dhawan is one buy that might be termed as a gamble, nevertheless, a calculated one going by his form in the 50-over format.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah (Bowler) – 8.5
Since finishing with bowling figures of 10-0-40-2 against the Aussies in their own backyard, Bumrah has not looked back and grown into one of the most potent weapons for India, especially in limited-overs cricket. He has picked up 17 wickets in 8 ODIs at an astounding average of just 14.64 and an economy rate of just 3.63.
Since joining the Gujarat side for the Ranji Trophy campaign in November 2016, Bumrah has picked up 23 wickets in 9 innings for his side and powered them into the finals of the domestic tournament. The English batsmen will find it hard to work around the wily bowling of the 23-year-old from Ahmedabad. Costing just 8.5, it is really a no-brainer to include Bumrah in your fantasy team as wickets are guaranteed with his sniper-like bowling.
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