India will be very pleased with the way their tour of England went, with victory coming in the T20 and ODI series.
Both of those series were very entertaining, as two of the highest-ranked teams in the ICC standings threw everything at each other. Here are some of the takeouts for India.
India May Top ODI Rankings Later This Year
The victory over England in the three-match ICC ODI series as visitors shows India have what it takes to climb all the way to the top of the standings. They currently top the T20 rankings and by the end of 2022, they can complete the white ball double.
India has a team which bats deep into their order. When their openers (Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan) don’t get off to a fast start, there is plenty of talent to recover an innings, as shown in the BBC scorecard from their victory at Old Trafford.
New Zealand and England are currently first and second respectively in the latest ODI standings, but that could all change, as India should record wins over the West Indies and Zimbabwe. They will then end the year with three matches again the Kiwis.
Chahal Can Deliver If Conditions Suit
Yuzvendra Chahal will have been pleased with the way the tour of England has gone for him on a personal level. He showed in the second ODI at Lord’s that he can have a big day. He took four wickets in that game.
The leg spinner remains very capable of helping his team when conditions suit. The wicket at Lord’s seemed to favor him, and he took full advantage, picking up the wickets of Bairstow, Root, Stokes and Ali, as documented in the Independent match report.
Chahal is likely to be a very important player for India at the T20 World Cup later this year. He should enjoy the pitches and conditions in Australia. As of the 18th of July, India are the +275 favorites with Betway to win that tournament. They go into the competition looking to win the trophy for the first time since their success in 2007.
The 31-year-old is the only Indian player to pick up six wickets in a game in international T20 cricket. He looks to have done enough in England to secure his position in the India limited-overs teams for the rest of the year.
Bumrah Remains Leading ODI Bowler in the World
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been in excellent form with the ball in 2022, and that was especially the case in England. The peak of his performances came at the Oval where he finished with figures of 6-19, as you can find on the Guardian scorecard.
Bumrah was largely responsible for skittling the hosts out for 110 in their innings. It meant India were able to chase down the target with ease. He bowled Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, David Willey and Reece Topley, while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were caught behind off his bowling.
England struggled to handle Bumrah throughout the ODI series. The Indian bowler is going to be key to his side if they are to have success in their upcoming matches in the West Indies.
Virat Kohli Needs a Big Innings Soon
Former captain Virat Kohli showed no signs of his form improving with the bat. During the tour of England, he featured in all three formats of the game. In the six innings he played, he scored no higher than 20, during the second innings of their Test defeat at Edgbaston.
Kohli played just two of the three T20 matches, getting out for one and 11 respectively. He made 16 at Lord’s on his return to the ODI team, while in his final appearance at Old Trafford, he got out on 17.
India captain Sharma was asked questions during this series about Kohli’s form, and the skipper was keen to defend the batsman. He told reporters that this should not be a topic for conversation. Kohli has also been supported by the BCCI.
Pressure will now be growing on the batman’s shoulders to make a big score soon and find the same level of form as 2019. Although there is no suggestion his place in the team is under doubt, a good innings would not only boost his confidence, but it would end any storylines about his run of form.
It would be no surprise to see India and England competing against each other at the latter stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup or Cricket World Cup in 2023. Both sides know each other very well now, which makes for more fascinating battles.
