I agree with Kevin Pietersen's reinstatement to the England ODI and t20 squad.

They gave him a break from the one-dayers at the end of the India Test series, but his appetite for the game as a whole seemed to return in over the summer. He is a natural inclusion in any England side as long as he's got the will to play.

Pietersen: back in the fold for England's ODI series

Pietersen is not a controversial selection and he only makes the squad look stronger. You don't ignore your best players. He's proved once again that he's a top-class performer and England need him.

I think they need to have a sit down and plan their best batting attack in limited-overs cricket, though.

There are going to be little tweaks to powerplays et cetera come October so they need to have their strategy well planned - particularly the role of Jonathan Trott and the pace at which he bats.

Plan

Jimmy Anderson has managed to stay fit and they're managing these players' time so I think it's fair enough to rest him. He had a difficult time in the sub-continent in the World Cup and didn't enjoy the conditions there so keeping him fresh for the trip to United Arab Emirates is a good plan indeed.

We've seen Stuart Meaker a bit but it is a bit of a surprise because he wasn't even in Surrey's side for the closing matches of the Clydesdale Bank 40 - they chose to play all their spinners Jade Dernbach and Yasir Arafat instead. The England selectors have certainly seen something in him that I haven't yet.

I hope that they give Steven Finn an opportunity because he's spending far too much time sitting on the sidelines carrying drinks - much like Anderson did early on in his career, so I hope he gets first crack at it out in India.

We talked about Graham Onions and Chris Tremlett as possibles but clearly they see them as Test-match performers rather than 50-over performers so it offers an opportunity to look at someone else.

Challenge

India will certainly be a different kettle of fish on their own grounds. I don't think it's a tour for too much experimentation - if Finn takes his place in the side then Meaker will only be called on in case of an emergency, I would have thought.

I don't see the point in risking Stuart Broad on this tour, and I'm also surprised to learn they're flying Jos Buttler and Alex Hales out for a one-off t20 game - but I suppose they are specialists in that area and exciting players. I wouldn't have thought they'd risk Broad unless they were entirely satisfied he's 100 per cent fit.

Chris Woakes is in danger of his batting talent overtaking his bowling talent, because he couldn't do much at Hampshire in that deciding Championship match with the ball - but he's been on the radar for some time.

He's already played ODI cricket for England and he's just the sort of player they're looking for - another TimBresnan-type who can bat at seven or eight and not let anybody down with the willow. He's got excellent control with the ball and good presentation of the seam when he delivers.

Clearly Jonny Bairstow's debut at Cardiff was particularly exciting, and Scott Borthwick has overtaken Adil Rashid as the number one wrist-spinner. They're obviously hoping he gets the opportunity to develop in India, and it will be a harsh baptism against some of the world's best players of spin bowling. Having said that, I think it's great that youngsters are being thrown in.

Looking at the ODI's, I think England could win the series but it'll be very tight with one match in it - so I'm going to go 3-2 to England.

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