The word ‘revenge' has been bandied around. It is the marketing spin that is expected to boost television ratings as India squares up against England in a five-match One-Day International series commencing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday before moving to Delhi, Mohali, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The desolate tour of England is now a scar in the back-story but M.S. Dhoni had already quaffed the speech about vengeance. A month back at Cardiff, Dhoni said: “You shouldn't have a revenge-like feeling. Once you have that on your mind, you start putting pressure on the whole side. It is important to stick to the basics.”

If Dhoni and company peer harder at the past beyond the tours of England and the West Indies, they will settle at that image of the Indian skipper hoisting Nuwan Kulasekara for the World Cup winning six on April 2. The latest match is the first international game, which the ‘Men in Blue' are playing at home after that surreal night at Mumbai and it is time for the squad to revive its winning-act.
Badly needs a win

More than the cold desire of quelling England, the team badly needs a victory as the last moment of high-fives in the Indian dressing room occurred at the North Sound Ground in Antigua on June 11. After that India lost the next two ODIs against the West Indies and never found the oxygen mask in England though rain and Dhoni's misfortune at the toss were also complex impediments.

The venue, with its record of inflicting losses on home teams — be it India in three ODIs or Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League — also needs a fresh tale. The local authorities in a bid to humour destiny, have swapped the dressing rooms between the home and visiting teams. Whether that will impact the result more than what 22 players can do on the turf under lights, remains a moot question.

Among the good news for India that starts with the primary factor of playing at home, is the return of Gautam Gambhir. The southpaw is likely to walk in at number three after openers Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane strengthened their case in England. Dhoni (236 runs) led the charts at Old Blighty and along with Suresh Raina ruined the return spells of James Anderson and company.

Virat Kohli slammed a ton at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens and was also prolific in the recent Champions League and Dhoni has no cause for worry about the batting. Amendments The Indian captain will however wonder about how his bowlers will cope with the International Cricket Council's amended playing conditions.

The amendment includes two new balls per innings bowled from either ends and the altered Power Play rule that states: “The remaining second and third block of Power Play overs may not be taken so as to commence earlier than the 16th over nor be completed later than the 40th over.”
Onus on Ashwin

The changes would have an impact on reverse swing and also test any captain's timing of employing spin. R. Ashwin, India's leading bowler in the ODIs in England with six scalps, is the main spinner and he and Praveen Kumar have to guide the rest. Led by Alastair Cook, England has the batting armour to test India's bowlers. Even a rookie like Jonathan Bairstow proved that England has the talent to tide over Eoin Morgan's absence.

The bowling, missing a rested Anderson and an injured Stuart Broad, will hinge on Tim Bresnan and Greame Swann, who through his book has ruffled teammate Kevin Pietersen's ego. A diplomatic Cook said that the ‘two blokes get along well'. The England captain is aware that for his men to acquire a cloak of invincibility, India has to be dominated in its backyard and that is never an easy task.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), G. Gambhir, A. Rahane, P. Patel, V. Kohli, S. Raina, M. Tiwary, R. Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, R. Vinay Kumar, R. Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, V. Aaron, S. Arvind and Rahul Sharma. England: A. Cook (captain), C. Kieswetter, Ian Bell, J. Trott, K. Pietersen, J. Bairstow, R. Bopara, A. Hales, J. Buttler, S. Borthwick, Samit Patel, G. Swann, T. Bresnan, J. Dernbach, S. Finn, C. Woakes and S. Meaker. Umpires: Billy Bowden and Shahvir Tarapore. Third umpire: Sudhir Asnani. Match referee: Roshan Mahanama.