"It's a good thing India haven't sent Kuldeep home. Just look at the weather we have had. I think it is set to be similarly fair for the next month or so. So you never know India might even play three spinners depending on pitches and their combinations. "India have three world class spinners in their Test squad, but I would definitely think of Kuldeep. I would want him hanging close around the English batsmen," he added.

With a 2-1 win in the ODI series, England underlined their status not only as the world's number one ranked ODI side but also the tag of favourites going into the 2019 ODI World Cup. "This series was a bit about bragging rights. England can raise their neck a bit. You could have said the same about India as well. Beating England here would have given them a bit of up-man-ship if they meet next year.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.86%

AAP 41.43%

INC 25.71%

Submit

View All In Poll

"And I think they will, because these two sides are poised to make it far in the World Cup. They would meet in a semi-final or final for sure. They are two very good sides, batting deep and possessing clever wicket-taking bowlers. "So I can see these two teams progressing far in the World Cup. If they meet in the final, it will be a cracker jack. It is a game we would all want to see," he said.

Tufnell has said that the hosts won the ODI series because their spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali outperformed Indian spinners. Kuldeep Yadav took 6-25 in the first ODI at Nottingham, but then returned 3/68 and 0/55 in the next two matches at Lord's and Leeds. Yuzvendra Chahal managed only 2/135 across the three games.

In comparison, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali shared eight wickets between them to bowl England to victory. Rashid, in particular, was quite impressive with hauls of 2-38 and 3-49 in the last two games where the Indian batting faltered. He bowled a ripper to Indian skipper Virat Kohli at Headingley, who was bowled and left stunned as the ball turned sharply from leg to take the off stump. That dismissal changed the course of the third ODI as India went on to lose the series 2-1.

"Indian batsmen are very adept at playing spin bowling and have done so all their lives. (But) Rashid and Ali have a very good partnership going at the moment. They are very experienced in one-day cricket and were top of their game with some really dry weather here," Tufnell said.

"Plus, the pitches have been turning. If the pitches are turning, you have always got a chance as a spin bowler and it doesn't matter who you are playing against." England relied on Joe Root and Eoin Morgan to win the third ODI and clinch the series 2-1. "... And as that wicket showed to Virat, if it pitches leg stump and hits the top of off, it doesn't matter how good a player of spin you are. Rashid-Ali have been doing very well for England and have been taking those wickets in the middle parts of the overs.

"Together they tend to take three or four wickets, but also manage to keep the runs down very well. So it gets you in a good position in 50-over cricket where you actually need to take wickets in those middle overs to keep the score down," the BBC commentator added.
While India got off to a flier at Trent Bridge, the change in fortunes was also down to some stoic batting by England against Yadav. Root put his hand up as he scored back-to-back hundreds in the last two matches.

"Kuldeep started the series very well but things changed at Lord's. It made a big difference that despite losing early wickets in that second game, England looked to play him on the backfoot and that worked. In the last two games, England showed more calm when the Indian spinners come on first of all.

"When Kuldeep started bowling fuller, they were knocking him down the ground. So the way Joe went changed the momentum of the series and it was a bit of masterclass," he said.

Also Read: Wriddhiman Saha To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Rehab Plan Under Scanner

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Except for the change in headline, the story has been provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, without any verification or editing from our side. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever