India vs England, 1st ODI: Playing 11 of India; focus on Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul

Pune, March 22: India have found a way to get the better of England in the Test and T20I series after conceding early lead and now the side led by Virat Kohli would be eager to finish the series on a high with the ODI series win.

The ODI series will begin on Tuesday (March 23) at Pune and India will enter the series opener with a good dose of self-belief.

However, it has to be kept in mind that England are the world champions in the 50-over format and we can expect a keen contest. Here is a look at India's possible playing 11 against England in the first ODI.

1. Openers

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan should be opening for India in the first ODI. Dhawan had played just one match in the T20I series but his record as an opener in the ODIs is quite impeccable, more than 5000 runs at shade over 45 with 17 hundreds. India will be eager to trust the familiar pair of Rohit-Dhawan to make some more impact against England.

2. Middle-order

The middle-order could feature beginning from skipper Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant. All of them are in fine touch as showed in various stages of the series against England. India will be eager to go with that explosive middle-order to keep England at arm's length.

3. All-rounders

Hardik Pandya is certain to feature in the 11. Hardik has contributed well as a bowler and batsman in the T20I series and that's a huge boost for India. He had played as a pure batsman against Australia last year owing to a correction in action to reduce the stress factor and the possibilities of injuries. The second all-rounder slot is a toss up between Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya. But Washington might just hold some edge unless they want to play a proper third seamer.

4. Bowlers

India will field Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who led the bowling quite admirably in the T20Is against England, Mohammad Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal as bowlers.

5. Playing 11

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.