Virat Kohli and Co eye ODI series win v England at Lord's today

Virat Kohli

Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli have a similar aggressive streak on cricket field and wear their heart on the sleeve. But Kohli, one assumes, will not take off his shirt on the Lord's balcony if India clinch the ODI series by defeating England in the second game here today. Sixteen years ago India had surprised England in the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord's. That was the game that changed India's outlook to one-day cricket in this millennium. The subsequent captains have taken the team forward and India are now the team to beat in world cricket.

India on a roll
India are on a roll after bagging the T20I series and the comfortable win at Nottingham in the first ODI. Most of the players are in top gear. However, what the Indians need to guard against is complacency because you this England team lightly at your peril. There were two factors that were crucial in the first ODI: Winning the toss and chasing, and the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav. Will the team rise to the occasion if they lose the toss and bat first and if Kuldeep is taken to the cleaners at Lord's which has shorter boundaries similar to Cardiff.

Despite going into the match with their nose ahead, it will be a stern test of India's ability to deal with the conditions here and how they take on the rivals who are bound to come back strongly. Of course, for England it is imperative to win to keep the series alive till the final game at Leeds on Tuesday.

Morgan wants improvement
England captain Eoin Morgan was hopeful that the Mecca of cricket will bring happy tidings for his team. Morgan said: "Lord's will be very similar to Cardiff, so the shift from ground to ground will be important, but that doesn't paper over the fact we need to get better at playing him [Kuldeep].

"When he does bowl well he is very good and he exposes an area of our game we need to improve on, that is a healthy thing. It's a chance to improve in this area, however long it takes, between now and the World Cup [next year].

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