Virat Kohli leads from the front as India overhaul a massive English score of 351 in Pune

The one-day cricket series started on a controversial note, as just a few days before the first one-day match MS Dhoni (after a talk with the national selector) relinquished his Captaincy. Virat Kohli was appointed the captain of the team to face England in the first one-day limited overs match at Pune. The English team batted first, and on a dead batting wicket, amassed a score of 351 in the allotted 50 overs.

Under normal circumstances, this is a winning score and very few teams have lost a match after posting such an imposing number. For Kohli, it was a baptism of fire, as the top Indian batting order failed, and MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh did not deliver at bat. The Indian team persevered, however, with 2 overs to spare.

Kohli as Captain

The appointment of Virat Kohli as Captain was expected, as the time was right for a changing of the guard, so to speak. With Dhoni aging and likely nearing retirement, it was also time to bring in a new face to lead the team. The selectors felt that Dhoni was not an investment for the future, he was eased out, and Kohli brought in.

The new Captain had to justify his selection as India's skipper. He silenced everybody with a sensational win at Pune. In fact, the English captain confessed after the match in a press conference that after posting 350+ on this wicket, it was a disappointment to lose.

India is now not only the powerhouse of cricket financially, but also has the best one-day cricket team in the world. The last world cup was won by India. It was a surprise to see Yuvraj Singh included on the team. The Punjab batsman, at 35, is no longer the player he was, and perhaps his selection was more due to sentiment than anything else. He failed with the bat, and so did Dhoni.

Future

India is to play 3 ODI's with England, and by winning this match, Kohli is well on his way to winning the series.

He also led the test team, winning the series 4-0 last year against England. Kohli had a great year at bat, hitting 3 double centuries. This is a record for the Indian cricket Captain. Virat has also been making waves on the personal front, as he is in a relationship with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.