What

The first One-Day International of the five-match series between India and England

When

October 14, 2011. The game begins at 14:30 pm, IST. The match is a day-night affair

Where

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. India are yet to win a ODI at this venue. They have lost all three matches played here, two of which have been against Australia while one has been against South Africa.

The Teams

India are still without the presence of some of their big guns, most of whom were injured on the recent tour to England and have not made a recovery to full fitness. Yet, playing at home, in conditions that they are absolutely familiar with, gives the Indian side a distinct advantage right through the course of this series.

With Gautam Gambhir returning to the ODI side, India’s batting strength definitely gets a fillip before the start of the series. But the hosts’ biggest worry will be the ability of their new ball bowlers to make inroads into the visitors’ batting line-up at the start of the innings. With that perspective, it might be prudent for MS Dhoni to play both specialist spinners, R Ashwin and Rahul Sharma, and hope that they outfox the England batsmen with their craft.

England appear to have carried their dominant form in their home series against India on this tour. While their opening tour game against Hyderabad XI saw them edge their opponents in a scrappy contest (England won by 56 runs), their 253-run win against the same opponents, in the next match, gave a glimpse of their real strength.

Having been rested for the ODI leg of the India tour to England, Kevin Pietersen’s return to the England squad adds more substance to the visitors’ middle-order. And with the likes of Alastair Cook, Craig Kieswetter, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Jonny Bairstow also in the ranks, the visitors boast a formidable England batting unit. The bowling department is also well served by the presence of Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann in the side. However, it remains to be seen how effective Bresnan and Finn will be in conditions that aren’t best suited for swing and seam bowling.

New ODI rules

Two prominent rule changes introduced by the ICC for ODI cricket since October 1, 2011 are the use of two balls in each innings of a match and that the batting and bowling powerplays can now only be taken between the 16th and the 40th over.

While the decision to take the batting or bowling powerplay hinges entirely on the match situation, the bigger impact is made by the introduction of two balls for each innings. With England having a better new-ball attack in the likes of Bresnan, Finn and Jade Dernbach, the visitors are more likely to benefit from this particular rule change than their opponents. Also, the use of two balls per innings greatly diminishes the prospect of reverse swing as both balls will be only 25 overs old at the most at the end of a full innings.

What’s at stake?

England and India are placed at fourth and fifth positions in the latest ICC ODI rankings with just one rating point separating the two sides. And so, a series win for the hosts will not only see them jump ahead of the visitors in the ODI rankings, but will also help them get over the recent ODI series loss (0-3) in England.

Trivia:

England have not beaten India in an ODI series in India since 1984-85. Back then, the David Gower-led England team beat Sunil Gavaskar-led India 4-1.

Venue Stats:

India – played - 3, won - 0, lost – 3, tied – 0, no result – 0

England – played - 0, won - 0, lost – 0, tied – 0, no result – 0

Highest total in an innings: Australia 350/4 in 50.0 overs v India - November 5, 2009

Lowest total in an innings: India 243 all out in 47.4 overs v Australia - October 5, 2007

Best individual score in an innings: Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 175 v Australia - November 5, 2009

Best bowling figures in an innings: Brett Lee (Australia) 8.0-1-37-3 v India – October 5, 2007

Average first innings score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium:

In day/night matches: 350 (in one match)

In all matches: 296 (in three matches)

Result summary at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium:

Head-to-head:

Last ODI meeting between India and England: Sep 16, 2011

Brief scores: England 241-4 (32.2 overs) beat India 304-6 (50.0 overs) by 6 wickets under D/L method

Form guide (most recent listed first):

India: Lost, Tied, Lost, Lost, NR (3 losses)

England: Won, Tied, Won, Won, NR (3 wins)

The Squads:

India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), R Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Aaron, RA Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma & Umesh Yadav

England: Alastair Cook (c), Jonathan Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Scott Borthwick, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes

All stats are as onOctober 13, 2011