The Virat Kohli-led India side would be hoping to stave off poor form and get into the ODI groove ahead of its Champions Trophy campaign in England. Well, that is what the Men in Blue would be desperately looking for, before taking the field against arch rival Pakistan.
The selectors have brought in an in-form Dinesh Karthik as a specialist batsman for the tournament. After a fantastic outing in the domestic tournaments, Karthik has also proved his mettle for the Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season, becoming the team’s second highest-run getter.
On paper, the side is filled with heavyweights, but with the likes of Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Mahendra Singh Dhoni experiencing a batting slump, it would be prudent for Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh to step up.
However, India's bowling department, which has been the team's Achilles Heel in the past, promises to boost Kohli's confidence this time. Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are bowling well, and the addition of Mohammad Shami will bolster the pace attack.
In the spin department, the onus will be on off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to make inroads into the opposition batting. He will have an able second fiddle in Ravindra Jadeja.
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