England Opt to Bat in First ODI; Jaiswal and Rana Make Debuts, Kohli Misses Out Due to Injury England have elected to bat first in the opening ODI of the three-match series against India in Nagpur, after captain Jos Buttler won the toss. The major headline ahead of the match is the absence of Virat…
England Opt to Bat in First ODI; Jaiswal and Rana Make Debuts, Kohli Misses Out Due to Injury
England have elected to bat first in the opening ODI of the three-match series against India in Nagpur, after captain Jos Buttler won the toss.
The major headline ahead of the match is the absence of Virat Kohli, who has been ruled out due to a right knee injury suffered during training on Wednesday evening. As a result, Rohit Sharma’s side sees a blend of experience and fresh faces, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana making their ODI debuts.
India’s top four has undergone a shake-up from their recent 4-1 victory in the T20I series. Notably, KL Rahul has edged out Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeping role. Meanwhile, the returning Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, offers a world-class alternative to the finger spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, all suited for the conditions in Nagpur, where the pitch and large outfield favor slower bowlers. Along with Rana, Mohammed Shami completes the pace attack.
England, on the other hand, welcomes back Joe Root, who returns to the ODI team for the first time since their disappointing World Cup defense. Root, fresh from a successful stint in the SA20 with Paarl Royals, is part of a slightly reworked lineup. Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood also earns his third ODI cap, joining Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse in a three-pronged pace attack. Mark Wood has been rested. Root, Liam Livingstone, and Jacob Bethell provide part-time spin options, alongside regular spinner Adil Rashid.
Both teams are looking to use this series as a final tune-up ahead of the Champions Trophy, particularly given their mixed results in the early stages of the 50-over cycle. Since the last World Cup, India have won just two out of six ODIs, while England’s record stands at a modest 4 out of 11.
Team Lineups:
India: 1. Rohit Sharma (capt), 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shreyas Iyer, 4. Shubman Gill, 5. Hardik Pandya, 6. Axar Patel, 7. KL Rahul (wk), 8. Ravi Jadeja, 9. Harshit Rana, 10. Kuldeep Yadav, 11. Mohammed Shami
England: 1. Ben Duckett, 2. Phil Salt (wk), 3. Joe Root, 4. Harry Brook, 5. Jos Buttler (capt), 6. Liam Livingstone, 7. Jacob Bethell, 8. Brydon Carse, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Adil Rashid, 11. Saqib Mahmood