ODI preview / Ryan ten doeschate / 11 October 2011 / 1

Kolkata, Essex and Netherlands star Ryan ten Doeschate on the different Indian wickets, the progress of Ravi Bopara and why these two sides are so hard to split.

Without much of a break, India must regroup and prepare to stop the tireless march of English cricket which has continually picked up momentum under Andy Flower. While England's Test performances have been consistently impressive, their one-day reputation has a short history and India can certainly not be written off here.

Let's not forget just how dominant MS Dhoni's men were at the World Cup, and conversely how disappointing England's campaign was. But their much-improved showing this summer in ODIs that comprised of Series wins over the two World Cup finalists - India themselves and Sri Lanka - will certainly fill them with confidence.

I think it will be a very close series, either team could win it by a single game. That probably explains why 3-2 to either side is amongst the favourites in the Betfair market. India have always been very difficult to beat in their own conditions but of the five venues at which the matches will be played, only two can be classed as 'traditional Indian' surfaces.

From my own experience of playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL I can vouch that Hyderabad, Mohali and Mumbai are all pitches with good bounce and carry. But India will thrive on the slow turning wickets that are synonymous with Eden Gardens and Delhi.

England's new recruits will definitely be put to the test on their first tour of India. I'm really excited to see how Somerset's Jos Butler goes if given the chance. He really could be the solution to England's middle-order problems, someone capable of clearing the ropes towards the back end of the innings. This is an area where they have perhaps struggled in the past and Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow is another who will add another option in this department.

India will be missing some big players and therefore have some new talent on show. I think this could be the series for Virat Kohli to put his hand up and announce himself as a world class player. He looked in great knick at the recent Champions League for RCB, twice leading the team to victory in high pressure matches. He's available at [5.5] to be India's top scorer throughout the Series.

I'm delighted to see my Essex team mates doing well again. 'Cooky' has shown his class by adapting his game and becoming a class ODI batsman, something many doubted he could be. Couple this with his leadership skills and you have a very fine one-day player. His counterpart MS Dhoni has been quiet since leading India to the World Cup, so expect a big bounce back from him this Series too. You don't keep a player like him down for too long.

Rav (Bopara) seems to have turned a corner, too. He finished the summer in fine style with good performances with both bat and ball. It looks like he has managed to shake some self doubt off his back. He needs to play with intent and look to score all the time. I think he can build on his form from the summer and with this new confidence will cement a place in this England team for good. He's [8.0] to be England's .

This should be a fascinating series between two teams filled with youthful promise. England have more experience in a few of the vital positions and I think this will give them the smallest of advantages. If they pull it off, don't underestimate just what an achievement that would be.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

(1)

1. Mugsy | 12 October 2011

   Tendo. You were the biggest moral of all time to be top Dutch scorer in the World Cup recently. 5/2. Absolute fillup. Couldn't get enough on. Don't you think we loved that ton against England!

   Do us a favour and console Borren this weekend after his All Blacks crash out of the World Cup.

   Good luck with the upcoming season.

:

:

:

?

: