Indian fans saw the sky crashing down on Tuesday, July 17, as India lost their third one-day international (ODI) against England at Leeds at losing the series 1-2. It was the first loss that India tasted in a bilateral series since the 1-4 loss to Australia in 2015-16 and also for Virat Kohli, it was the first defeat in a bilateral series since he took over as the captain. The defeat came after nine consecutive bilateral series victories and also after seven years to England.

But do the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a>n fans really need to raise an alarm for losing a series which India lost after taking a 1-0 lead?

Of course not. Rather, a surprising loss like this will keep Team India’s management thinking and that will not be a bad thing to happen ahead of the ICC World Cup in England and Wales next year. Even though the game has undergone a significant change, the law of averages still holds good and periodic upsets will keep the team on its knees and there will be less complacency in its ranks.

However, one needs to discuss a point or two after India’s first ODI series debacle in nearly three years and it is all about a constructive criticism. The boys have done good as players and they will remain equally good in the games to come.

1. India has too many batsmen now and the need is to organize them

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267782" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-JosButtler.jpg" alt="England v India - 3rd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267782" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The first point to talk about is India’s pool of players. Thanks to tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL), India has a huge reserve of batsmen now. But the irony lies in the fact that only the top three players in their batting order are seen organized while it is unstable from No. 4. That ideally shouldn’t be the case. There was a time earlier too when India had a heavy reliance on their top three batsmen in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid but it was more out of the paucity of batsmen unlike the situation today. Now, the congestion is so high that even a class batsman like KL Rahul has to sit out despite a solid form. Kohli and the team management need to take this aspect into consideration.

We are seeing too many shifts in the batting order after No. 3 which though makes it look like that India has a flexible batting order but actually, this could leave it too uncertain and unstable in crunch matches. Ganguly, who was known for his cricketing acumen and had asked Dravid to keep so as to accommodate one more batsman in the playing XI, is unhappy over the treatment meted out to players like Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane.

His views are right for India to need to have these two technically sound batsmen in the middle order and give it a more solid shape. It was difficult to understand why Rahul was dropped in the decider and Dinesh Karthik went out to bat at No.4. Not having your No.4 position fixed in international games is not a good sign.

2. Finding an answer to the MSD puzzle

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267170" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-9.jpg" alt="England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267170" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The second point is about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. At 37, the former World Cup-winning captain is at the twilight of his career and needs to be handled with care. The wicketkeeper-batsman was booed for his batting in the England series for his slow batting in the second and third games that India lost but that’s not the way for to deal with the man who has now 10,000 runs in the 50-over format.

Captain Kohli and the team management did it right by backing him and Dhoni needs to be told: “Man, we are keeping you till the 2019 World Cup and just like you have come this far, make every game count from now on till that big event.”

The captain has to do this job even though he is much junior to Dhoni as a player and captain. Dhoni himself had handled greats like Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid when they finished. Now, it’s time for Kohli. Or else, Dhoni will only be a soft target each time India’s lower order fails to score enough runs.

3. A thought about India’s bowling

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-266074" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Umesh-Yadav-Trains.jpg" alt="England &amp; India Net Sessions" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-266074" class="wp-caption-text">Umesh Yadav of India. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The third issue is about India’s bowling. It seems the entire discussion on India’s bowling now is revolving around the Kul-Cha pair and whether the veteran duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can make a comeback into the squad or not. This decision should entirely be left on how each of these four bowlers is bowling at the time of the World Cup and not just who is elder and hence less effective.

Chahal was not as successful in the England series and hence should not be an automatic choice. Some emphasis also needs to be given on the fast bowling department. India has two major weapons in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav but they also need to work out the backup pacers. Here, too, there is a lot to choose from, thanks to the IPL but zeroing on a core group through the best management of the players is the need of the hour.

The Indian bowling is quite inexperienced and will need a guidance under the senior players. India’s bowlers did well in the Test series against South Africa earlier this year but yet India lost the series because of the batsmen’s failure. It is important for the batters to back the bowlers for the latter to succeed.

4. The case of Hardik Pandya

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-265459" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya.jpg" alt="Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-265459" class="wp-caption-text">India batsman Hardik Pandya. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Enough speculation has already been made about Hardik Pandya as the next Kapil Dev. But before attaining the heights of Kapil, Pandya needs to get his basics right more often. He is a good talent no doubt but he seems to be more in the slam-bang mode, both with the bat and the bowl. Cricket is something more than that.

Pandya has to give his team the rock-solid backing at the crucial No. 7 if he eyes to become a Kapil of 1983 and not remain content with a performance of a bits-and-pieces cricketer.

5. Rest is key; are Indian players getting enough of it

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267732" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shardul-Thakur-and-Bhuvneshwar-Kumar.jpg" alt="Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267732" class="wp-caption-text">Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

This is very important for India to keep in mind. India will be playing one after another away series ahead of the World Cup besides the annual IPL. It will be very important for the players to take adequate rest before they take the field in the quadrennial tournament. As of now, it is missing and that’s not a good thing.

Kohli himself has admitted time and again the need for rest and recuperation and opted for them ahead of key series against South Africa and England, skipping limited over series versus Sri Lanka and the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Even other players need to do the same.

The packed international itinerary for the players is to be blamed for their grinding. And it is even strange that India is yet not playing players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in the run-up to the World Cup. Winnability is fine but a reserve bench is equally important.

Indian fans saw the sky crashing down on Tuesday, July 17, as India lost their third one-day international (ODI) against England at Leeds at losing the series 1-2. It was the first loss that India tasted in a bilateral series since the 1-4 loss to Australia in 2015-16 and also for Virat Kohli, it was the first defeat in a bilateral series since he took over as the captain. The defeat came after nine consecutive bilateral series victories and also after seven years to England.
But do the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a>n fans really need to raise an alarm for losing a series which India lost after taking a 1-0 lead?
Of course not. Rather, a surprising loss like this will keep Team India’s management thinking and that will not be a bad thing to happen ahead of the ICC World Cup in England and Wales next year. Even though the game has undergone a significant change, the law of averages still holds good and periodic upsets will keep the team on its knees and there will be less complacency in its ranks.
However, one needs to discuss a point or two after India’s first ODI series debacle in nearly three years and it is all about a constructive criticism. The boys have done good as players and they will remain equally good in the games to come.
<h3>1. India has too many batsmen now and the need is to organize them</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267782" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267782" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-267782" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-JosButtler.jpg" alt="England v India - 3rd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267782" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The first point to talk about is India’s pool of players. Thanks to tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL), India has a huge reserve of batsmen now. But the irony lies in the fact that only the top three players in their batting order are seen organized while it is unstable from No. 4. That ideally shouldn’t be the case. There was a time earlier too when India had a heavy reliance on their top three batsmen in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid but it was more out of the paucity of batsmen unlike the situation today. Now, the congestion is so high that even a class batsman like KL Rahul has to sit out despite a solid form. Kohli and the team management need to take this aspect into consideration.
We are seeing too many shifts in the batting order after No. 3 which though makes it look like that India has a flexible batting order but actually, this could leave it too uncertain and unstable in crunch matches. Ganguly, who was known for his cricketing acumen and had asked Dravid to keep so as to accommodate one more batsman in the playing XI, is unhappy over the treatment meted out to players like Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane.
His views are right for India to need to have these two technically sound batsmen in the middle order and give it a more solid shape. It was difficult to understand why Rahul was dropped in the decider and Dinesh Karthik went out to bat at No.4. Not having your No.4 position fixed in international games is not a good sign.

<h3>2. Finding an answer to the MSD puzzle</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267170" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267170" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-267170" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-9.jpg" alt="England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267170" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The second point is about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. At 37, the former World Cup-winning captain is at the twilight of his career and needs to be handled with care. The wicketkeeper-batsman was booed for his batting in the England series for his slow batting in the second and third games that India lost but that’s not the way for to deal with the man who has now 10,000 runs in the 50-over format.
Captain Kohli and the team management did it right by backing him and Dhoni needs to be told: “Man, we are keeping you till the 2019 World Cup and just like you have come this far, make every game count from now on till that big event.”
The captain has to do this job even though he is much junior to Dhoni as a player and captain. Dhoni himself had handled greats like Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid when they finished. Now, it’s time for Kohli. Or else, Dhoni will only be a soft target each time India’s lower order fails to score enough runs.

<h3>3. A thought about India’s bowling</h3>
<figure id="attachment_266074" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266074" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-266074" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Umesh-Yadav-Trains.jpg" alt="England &amp; India Net Sessions" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-266074" class="wp-caption-text">Umesh Yadav of India. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The third issue is about India’s bowling. It seems the entire discussion on India’s bowling now is revolving around the Kul-Cha pair and whether the veteran duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can make a comeback into the squad or not. This decision should entirely be left on how each of these four bowlers is bowling at the time of the World Cup and not just who is elder and hence less effective.
Chahal was not as successful in the England series and hence should not be an automatic choice. Some emphasis also needs to be given on the fast bowling department. India has two major weapons in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav but they also need to work out the backup pacers. Here, too, there is a lot to choose from, thanks to the IPL but zeroing on a core group through the best management of the players is the need of the hour.
The Indian bowling is quite inexperienced and will need a guidance under the senior players. India’s bowlers did well in the Test series against South Africa earlier this year but yet India lost the series because of the batsmen’s failure. It is important for the batters to back the bowlers for the latter to succeed.

<h3>4. The case of Hardik Pandya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_265459" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265459" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-265459" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya.jpg" alt="Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-265459" class="wp-caption-text">India batsman Hardik Pandya. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Enough speculation has already been made about Hardik Pandya as the next Kapil Dev. But before attaining the heights of Kapil, Pandya needs to get his basics right more often. He is a good talent no doubt but he seems to be more in the slam-bang mode, both with the bat and the bowl. Cricket is something more than that.
Pandya has to give his team the rock-solid backing at the crucial No. 7 if he eyes to become a Kapil of 1983 and not remain content with a performance of a bits-and-pieces cricketer.

<h3>5. Rest is key; are Indian players getting enough of it</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267732" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267732" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-267732" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shardul-Thakur-and-Bhuvneshwar-Kumar.jpg" alt="Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267732" class="wp-caption-text">Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
This is very important for India to keep in mind. India will be playing one after another away series ahead of the World Cup besides the annual IPL. It will be very important for the players to take adequate rest before they take the field in the quadrennial tournament. As of now, it is missing and that’s not a good thing.
Kohli himself has admitted time and again the need for rest and recuperation and opted for them ahead of key series against South Africa and England, skipping limited over series versus Sri Lanka and the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Even other players need to do the same.
The packed international itinerary for the players is to be blamed for their grinding. And it is even strange that India is yet not playing players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in the run-up to the World Cup. Winnability is fine but a reserve bench is equally important.

Indian fans saw the sky crashing down on Tuesday, July 17, as India lost their third one-day international (ODI) against England at Leeds at losing the series 1-2. It was the first loss that India tasted in a bilateral series since the 1-4 loss to Australia in 2015-16 and also for Virat Kohli, it was the first defeat in a bilateral series since he took over as the captain. The defeat came after nine consecutive bilateral series victories and also after seven years to England.
But do the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a>n fans really need to raise an alarm for losing a series which India lost after taking a 1-0 lead?
Of course not. Rather, a surprising loss like this will keep Team India’s management thinking and that will not be a bad thing to happen ahead of the ICC World Cup in England and Wales next year. Even though the game has undergone a significant change, the law of averages still holds good and periodic upsets will keep the team on its knees and there will be less complacency in its ranks.
However, one needs to discuss a point or two after India’s first ODI series debacle in nearly three years and it is all about a constructive criticism. The boys have done good as players and they will remain equally good in the games to come.
<h3>1. India has too many batsmen now and the need is to organize them</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267782" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267782" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267782" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-JosButtler.jpg" alt="England v India - 3rd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267782" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The first point to talk about is India’s pool of players. Thanks to tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL), India has a huge reserve of batsmen now. But the irony lies in the fact that only the top three players in their batting order are seen organized while it is unstable from No. 4. That ideally shouldn’t be the case. There was a time earlier too when India had a heavy reliance on their top three batsmen in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid but it was more out of the paucity of batsmen unlike the situation today. Now, the congestion is so high that even a class batsman like KL Rahul has to sit out despite a solid form. Kohli and the team management need to take this aspect into consideration.
We are seeing too many shifts in the batting order after No. 3 which though makes it look like that India has a flexible batting order but actually, this could leave it too uncertain and unstable in crunch matches. Ganguly, who was known for his cricketing acumen and had asked Dravid to keep so as to accommodate one more batsman in the playing XI, is unhappy over the treatment meted out to players like Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane.
His views are right for India to need to have these two technically sound batsmen in the middle order and give it a more solid shape. It was difficult to understand why Rahul was dropped in the decider and Dinesh Karthik went out to bat at No.4. Not having your No.4 position fixed in international games is not a good sign.

<h3>2. Finding an answer to the MSD puzzle</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267170" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267170" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267170" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-9.jpg" alt="England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267170" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The second point is about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. At 37, the former World Cup-winning captain is at the twilight of his career and needs to be handled with care. The wicketkeeper-batsman was booed for his batting in the England series for his slow batting in the second and third games that India lost but that’s not the way for to deal with the man who has now 10,000 runs in the 50-over format.
Captain Kohli and the team management did it right by backing him and Dhoni needs to be told: “Man, we are keeping you till the 2019 World Cup and just like you have come this far, make every game count from now on till that big event.”
The captain has to do this job even though he is much junior to Dhoni as a player and captain. Dhoni himself had handled greats like Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid when they finished. Now, it’s time for Kohli. Or else, Dhoni will only be a soft target each time India’s lower order fails to score enough runs.

<h3>3. A thought about India’s bowling</h3>
<figure id="attachment_266074" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266074" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-266074" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Umesh-Yadav-Trains.jpg" alt="England &amp; India Net Sessions" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-266074" class="wp-caption-text">Umesh Yadav of India. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The third issue is about India’s bowling. It seems the entire discussion on India’s bowling now is revolving around the Kul-Cha pair and whether the veteran duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can make a comeback into the squad or not. This decision should entirely be left on how each of these four bowlers is bowling at the time of the World Cup and not just who is elder and hence less effective.
Chahal was not as successful in the England series and hence should not be an automatic choice. Some emphasis also needs to be given on the fast bowling department. India has two major weapons in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav but they also need to work out the backup pacers. Here, too, there is a lot to choose from, thanks to the IPL but zeroing on a core group through the best management of the players is the need of the hour.
The Indian bowling is quite inexperienced and will need a guidance under the senior players. India’s bowlers did well in the Test series against South Africa earlier this year but yet India lost the series because of the batsmen’s failure. It is important for the batters to back the bowlers for the latter to succeed.

<h3>4. The case of Hardik Pandya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_265459" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265459" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-265459" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya.jpg" alt="Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-265459" class="wp-caption-text">India batsman Hardik Pandya. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Enough speculation has already been made about Hardik Pandya as the next Kapil Dev. But before attaining the heights of Kapil, Pandya needs to get his basics right more often. He is a good talent no doubt but he seems to be more in the slam-bang mode, both with the bat and the bowl. Cricket is something more than that.
Pandya has to give his team the rock-solid backing at the crucial No. 7 if he eyes to become a Kapil of 1983 and not remain content with a performance of a bits-and-pieces cricketer.

<h3>5. Rest is key; are Indian players getting enough of it</h3>
<figure id="attachment_267732" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267732" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-267732" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shardul-Thakur-and-Bhuvneshwar-Kumar.jpg" alt="Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-267732" class="wp-caption-text">Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
This is very important for India to keep in mind. India will be playing one after another away series ahead of the World Cup besides the annual IPL. It will be very important for the players to take adequate rest before they take the field in the quadrennial tournament. As of now, it is missing and that’s not a good thing.
Kohli himself has admitted time and again the need for rest and recuperation and opted for them ahead of key series against South Africa and England, skipping limited over series versus Sri Lanka and the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Even other players need to do the same.
The packed international itinerary for the players is to be blamed for their grinding. And it is even strange that India is yet not playing players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in the run-up to the World Cup. Winnability is fine but a reserve bench is equally important.

Five things the Indians will want to look into when they think about the 2-1 ODI series defeat.

After losing ODI series vs England, 5 things India need to think about

Indian fans saw the sky crashing down on Tuesday, July 17, as India lost their third one-day international (ODI) against England at Leeds at losing the ser