Hyderabad, Oct 13: India will aim to bury the ghosts of their humiliating English summer when they take on a confident England side in the first of what is being touted as a revenge five-match ODI cricket series starting here tomorrow.
It's redemption time for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men as they will be itching to settle scores having failed to secure a single victory in international matches in England, having lost four Tests, three ODIs and one Twenty20 International during their recent tour.
His opposite number Alastair Cook will certainly hope that his side can carry on from where they left in the last series although they would be missing the services of the formidable new ball duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
This will be the first series where the new ICC rule of using separate new balls from both ends will be implemented along with changed Powerplay rules.
On paper and based on current form, England are certainly favourites but in home conditions, Indians have always been formidable opponents.
The series also gives Dhoni as well as the national selectors a chance to have a clear idea about the fringe players as they get an ideal opportunity to test the bench strength in the absence of senior players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan to name a few.
While Mumbai youngster Ajinkya Rahane—the lone bright spot during India's disastrous ODI campaign—can consolidate his position in the team, rookie leggie Rahul Sharma, Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary, Karnataka seamer Sreenath Aravind will be hoping to get a chance at some point in the series to prove their mettle. PTI
