The start of the one day series between India and England in Rajkot on Friday provides the perfect setting for two maverick captains to attain vastly different objectives. Kevin Pieteresen would be looking to revitalize the English side after their colossal monetary setback emanating from the Stanford Super Series loss. Other than that, since he ushered in a new dawn in English cricket, Pietersen is yet to lose an international game as captain (5 successive victories in 1 test match and 4 one-day internationals - all against South Africa) and would hope that by the end of the series the English Lion roars on Indian soil. Mahender Singh Dhoni, on the other hand, would probably want his side to deal such a telling blow to the English, that the dominance of India in world cricket rings complete. He would know that victory in all forms of the game is the only hallmark of a great team, something which the vanquished Australians managed with aplomb in the past decade.

The odds seemed stacked against Pietersen, as is the case with all touring sides when they come to India. But then the English have probably been the worst visitors to the subcontinent. Unlike the Australians who realized the need to familiarize themselves with the locale as a stepping stone to success in India, the English have always been incisive in their criticism of the conditions in India. The weather, the food, the absence of suitable entertainment options and finally the wickets make for convenient alibis for their inadequacies on the field.

That England last won a one day series in India in 1984 – 1985 (4-1), is testimony of their unwillingness to adapt. Pietersen would do well to reverse this trend, but then again, if not for the peripheral factors, the manpower at his disposal fails to invoke any kind of real threat. The batting in particular seems woefully insufficient to counter the slowish nature of Indian pitches and one can bet on seeing Pietersen and Collingwood stabilizing the innings after a top order wobble in every game. Flintoff and Harmison would be expected to bring out their A game if England is to make a match of this series, but again the absence of a quality spinner would hurt England's chances badly.

With the test series against Australia a thing of the past, the Indian team will feature a relatively younger side, who bring a lot more energy to the game at least in the fielding department. The likes of Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma, Dhoni (and Tendulkar if he is available for the last four games) will have to shoulder the burden of posting 300+ scores if India is to shut the door on England. Also if Ishant Sharma is able to keep himself fit and available for the remaining six games (injury ruling him out of the first one), he is the bowler most likely to threaten England given how little they know of him. Harbhajan's experience and ability with the bat should see him get picked ahead of Pragyan Ojha for the specialist spinner's slot, with the likes of Sehwag and Yuvraj contributing with their innocuous tweakers, to provide adequate spin options for Dhoni.

India should, given their familiarity with home conditions, wrap up the series by the time the teams finish the sixth game in Guwhati. Any other result would mean that England head into the test series, which begins within ten days from the ODI series, with their confidence intact. Surely the opportunity of winning the battle ahead of the war is what makes the entire series interesting. Without further ado, let the games begin.