England v India - 3rd ODI - Match Preview
The 3rd One Day International between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 and India will be played today, September 9, 2011 at the Kennington Oval, London.
The advantage remains with the English side, which has so far shown no mercy for the opponents, who have been battered and bruised beyond repair.
Injuries and poor form have dented the Men In Blue’s progress in the ODI’s, and while they seem much better equipped to the challenges of the shorter format of the game, they still find themselves struggling in the very format they are best at.
The problem for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 has been the underperformance of a bowling attack which remains pretty much one-dimensional without any specialist bowler.
Dhoni previously afforded the luxury of having several match-winners in the squad, each of whom could turn the match on his own. However, with the top guns on the flight home, Captain Cool is now left with a weakened side, which will have to muster all its collective strength to face the ruthless Poms.
The English have been mechanical in their approach to the game, with each player looking to deliver the best for the team’s cause.
On Friday, the Oval will witness another high voltage clash, as the confident English side locks horns with a tattered Indian side.
While the Poms will be looking to secure an unassailable lead, the Indians would want to avoid returning home empty-handed.
A few changes are expected in both camps, as the hosts look set to play http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Eoin-Joseph-Gerard-Morgan-c56032, who has been ruled out of the remaining fixtures.
It was expected that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Vinay-Kumar-c2237; however, with RP Singh also in contention, Aaron’s chances seem slim.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s dependence on Zaheer, without whom, their lackluster pace arsenal was exposed.
However, injuries to experienced players have brought good tidings for the youngsters, since now they have ample opportunities to prove their mettle and secure permanent spots on the national squad.
Amongst the newcomers, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajinkya-Rahane-c970 has been a revelation for his side, scoring 155 so far in the limited-overs leg of the tour. He was the captain of the India Emerging Players side, which recently competed in the Emerging Players Tournament, clinching the tournament title.
The last two One Day Internationals saw rain spoiling the party, with the first being washed out and the 2nd being reduced to 23 overs per side; fortunately, a complete 50-over game is on the cards today.
Although it is a do-or-die situation for Dhoni and his men, one thing will be certain, the hosts will offer no leniency, as the words of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501 suggest, … “we don't want the one day series to be a bit of a damp squib at the end.”
All has fallen apart so hastily for a team which until recently was seated at the top. Talk of a full tour whitewash would be premature, but the possibility remains, especially given the approach taken by the English side.
Tags: