ODI series will bring more fireworks and other England and India T20 series takeaways

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  • The T20 series was full of fireworks from both sides.

    The three-match T20 series between England and India came to a conclusion at Bristol on Sunday with the visitors sealing a 2-1 series win after thumping the hosts by seven wickets.

    It was a series which lived up to its reputation of featuring two of the best white-ball cricket teams in the world at the moment with the pendulum swinging from one side to the other.

    With the three-match ODI series getting underway on Thursday, we look at what the T20s have taught us.

    INDIA’S PACE OPTIONS DWINDLING

    While Virat Kohli’s men might have laid down a marker for the rest of the summer, they did so at a cost. The visitors were dealt a big blow even before the start of the series with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out due to a broken thumb.

    There was further setback when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the decider with a stiff lower back. Bhuvneshwar has been struggling with back issues since the IPL this year and given the fact that he will play a crucial role in the five-match Test series, India are likely to tread very carefully with how they manage his workload in the ODI series.

    With Bumrah now being ruled out of the ODI series as well and Shardul Thakur being called up as a replacement, India are low on gas when it comes to their pace battery.

    India will be sweating it over Bhuvneshwar's fitness woes.

    India will be sweating over Bhuvneshwar’s fitness woes.

    EXPECT MORE FIREWORKS IN THE ODI SERIES

    There was little to choose between the two teams in the T20s. Batsmen from both sides impressed in the three matches with Rohit Sharma, Kohli and KL Rahul looking good for India while Jos Buttler and Jason Roy were equally impressive for the hosts.

    With Ben Stokes returning to England’s set-up, the hosts will be bolstered for the ODI series where they come in as the No1 ranked team in the format. Memories of their 5-0 whitewash over the Aussies will be fresh where they amassed big scores like they were going out of business.

    The 50-over clashes could see runs flow once again and with the first match taking place at Trent Bridge – the venue where England registered their world-record 481-6 against Australia – the tone for the rest of the series could very be set at the start.

    The ODI series should be an equally hard-fought affair.

    The ODI series should be an equally hard-fought affair.

    KULDEEP REMAINS A ‘MYSTERY’

    How England would handle India’s wrist-spinners, especially Kuldeep Yadav, was a big talking point before the start of the T20 series. In the first game, he bamboozled England’s top-order with figures of 5-24 as the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root struggled to pick his googly.

    England showed better application against Kuldeep in the second T20 where they played him off the back foot . That would be the last contribution from Kuldeep in the series with Kohli leaving out the youngster in the decider.

    While the reasons for him being dropped remain a mystery, the question of whether England have figured Kuldeep out remains unanswered. In fact, Kohli might have heightened the mystery surrounding the young spinner by keeping him out of the final T20.

    Kuldeep Yadav could still be India's trump card in the ODIs.

    Kuldeep Yadav could still be India’s trump card in the ODIs.

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