Kohli's masterclass leaves England on the ropes

To use the modern gaming vernacular, England were well and truly pwned in Pune, in the first ODI against India. They posted a formidable total of 350 for 7, they had their hosts four-down inside 12 overs of the reply, but then were swept aside by some of the most stunning run-chasing ever produced in one-day cricket.

Virat Kohli's 122 from 105 balls was the sort of mastery that his form had been threatening throughout 2016, and which had left him a towering favourite to be the series top-scorer, but it was Kedar Jadhav's 120 from 76 that truly upset England's apple-cart. Between them they added 200 runs in just over 20 overs, to breeze past their target with 11 balls to spare.

So, what of England's prospects for the remainder of the series. Well, the odds-setters at Bet365 don't rate their chances especially highly - and why would they, if their best batting efforts can be so easily overhauled? India are a punative 21/20 to complete a 3-0 clean sweep, while Kohli is 9/4 to be India's top-scorer in the second match at Thursday.

All is not lost for England - especially, you suspect, if they are able to bat second and unleash their deep batting line-up on whatever gargantuan total Kohli's men can put up in the first innings. But coming back from such a beasting will be no easy feat, especially given what happened to the Test team before Christmas when the defeats started rolling in.

Joe Root, at 11/4, is once again the favourite to top England's run-charts, but Ben Stokes confirmed he is in fine form with his hard-hitting 62 from 40 balls at Pune, and at 9/1, he is worth a look to back up his exploits in the first outing of the series.