India A vs England Lions, 2019: 1st Unofficial ODI: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

England Lions will take on India A in the 5-match unofficial series at the Greenfield Stadium in Trivandrum starting 23rd January. A couple of young batsmen who toiled hard in the domestic circuit now have a chance of making it to the Indian World Cup squad. The Lions are led by Sam Billings who is also in line for a place as a back-up batsman for the biggest ODI tournament. India A will be led by Ajinkya Rahane for the first three matches of the series.

As per the sources, the Indian Test team’s vice-captain is in contention and part of the Indian selection plans for the World Cup. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant (last two ODIs) will be hoping to bag a position in the Indian middle-order with some impactful performances. Fast bowlers Siddarth Kaul, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar also aim to make the India squad and catch the CWC 2019 flight as options.

Match Details:

The first game of the 5-match Unofficial ODI series between India A and England Lions will be hosted by Greenfield Stadium in Karyavattom, Trivandrum.

The match starts at 9:00 AM local (IST) time (3:30 AM GMT).

This series won’t be telecasted or streamed due to conflicting with the Ranji Trophy semi-final starting on 24th January.

Team India also takes on New Zealand tomorrow in the 1st ODI – New Zealand vs India 2019, 1st ODI: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Pitch Condition/Report:

The India-Windies ODI last year was the only List A game hosted by this venue. There could be some movement off the pitch for the pacers especially in the first half as it is a day game.

Average 1st innings score: 104 (Only List A match)

Record of teams batting second: Won – 1, Lost – 0 (Only List A match)

Probable Playing XI:

India A:

Ajinkya Rahane (C), Anmolpreet Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Ankit Bawne, Ishan Kishan (WK), Krunal Pandya, Mayank Markande, Siddarth Kaul, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini.

Bench – Rituraj Gaekwad, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav.

Saini performed well during the warm-up game against Board President’s XI. Krunal Pandya, Mayank Markande and Kaul are part of the first three matches of this series only. They are expected to start ahead of Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav who are named in the squad for all five matches.

England Lions:

Alex Davies, Ben Duckett, Sam Hain, Sam Billings (C & Wk), Ollie Pope, Lewis Gregory, Dominic Bess, Danny Briggs, Jamie Overton, James Porter, Zak Chappell.

Bench – Matthew Carter, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Moores, Will Jacks.

Dominic Bess might play ahead of another off-spinner Matthew Carter given his better batting skills.

Team News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

England’s Sam Hain has earned a name of himself with consistency in the limited-overs cricket. The 23-year-old has a record batting average of 62.6 in List A cricket. He scored 2379 runs thus far with help of 9 centuries and 13 fifties from 45 innings. He makes a 50+ score in List A cricket almost every 2nd innings.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

• Sam Hain’s limited-overs record makes him a certain as captain or vice-captain.
• Hanuma Vihari has been consistent while playing for India A. He can be picked as vice-captain.
• This series will be crucial for Shreyas Iyer and his bid to make a comeback and can be considered as captain.
• Ajinkya Rahane and Lewis Gregory will be perfect alternatives for captain and vice-captain.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Ishan Kishan

Batsmen – Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari (VC), Sam Hain (C), Sam Billings

All-Rounders – Krunal Pandya, Lewis Gregory

Bowlers – Mayank Markande, Navdeep Saini, Jamie Porter

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Ishan Kishan

Batsmen – Ben Duckett, Shreyas Iyer (C), Hanuma Vihari, Sam Hain (VC), Sam Billings

All-Rounders – Krunal Pandya, Lewis Gregory

Bowlers – Siddarth Kaul, Navdeep Saini, Jamie Porter

Expert Advice:

Our India A probable XI is based on their formula of giving chances to all players. The team managed by Rahul Dravid tries to make sure all the players selected in the series get their chances to make an impression.

England Lions’ probable XI is based on their warm-up performances. The mentioned top five will be more or less the same.

Probable Winners:

India A might have an upper hand over the England Lions due to the experience in their line-up.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.