The One Day series which involved 3 matches with England is over. The Indian team put their mark in this limited over format with a 2-1 victory. England came back in the series with a win in the 3rd one day international at the Eden Gardens -- the second oldest cricket ground in the world after Lords. The third one-day international saw a rare failure by the Indian captain Kohli and that probably sealed the fate of the match despite heroic innings by Jadhav. India won the earlier two matches narrowly. With this win, India will be hoping they can carry on the momentum to the world cup in 2019.
However, the narrow margin of victory in the first 2 matches and defeat in the last match show chinks in the armor. In the 3rd ODI India lost by 6 runs, and when Dhoni got out, the look on his face said everything.
Aged players
The Indian team has 2 players who are past 35 and not really fit for the rigors of one day cricket. The duo of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh will be 2 years older in 2019 and one cannot imagine how they will be an asset to the team. The failure of these two in the first one day almost cost India the first match. The defeat in the last ODI can also be traced to the failure of these two. Though the duo won the 2nd match with big scores, they are not an investment for the future.
One wonders why the selection committee did not choose younger players, especially with the World Cup nearing.
Chinks in the armor
The sport of cricket is big money, and 60% of all finance for the game is generated in India. The public will not settle for a poor performance in the World Cup. The flat pitches also showed the limitations of the bowling attack, which allowed England to post scores in excess of 350.
Thanks to a good batting lineup, India could overhaul these totals, but such wickets may not be the norm in the World Cup.
Last word
The selectors need to build a team for the future. Dhoni and Yuvraj are not an investment for a future victory. The very fact that Yuvraj hit a century after 6 years is an indication that some significant changes need to be made moving forward.
