Senior Stars Return as India Begin ODI World Cup Build-Up Against England
Birmingham — India will look to rebound from a disappointing T20I series when they face England in the opening match of a three-game ODI series at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
The return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah gives captain Shubman Gill a more experienced squad as India begin preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Rohit is expected to open alongside Gill, with the pair averaging 60.9 together in ODIs. Gill enters the series in strong form, having scored 373 runs in five ODI innings this year at an average of 93.3 and a strike rate of 117.
Rohit has scored seven ODI centuries in England, the most by a visiting batter, while Kohli is set to play his 300th ODI innings. Kohli has 14,797 ODI runs and is approaching the 15,000-run milestone.
Shreyas Iyer is expected to return to the No. 4 position, while KL Rahul will likely bat at No. 5 and serve as wicketkeeper. India’s other batting options include Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube.
Bumrah’s return to the ODI team for the first time since the 2023 World Cup strengthens a pace attack that also includes Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav.
Axar and Kuldeep Yadav are expected to lead the spin attack. Kuldeep needs six wickets to become the fourth Indian spinner to reach 200 ODI wickets.
England will be led by Harry Brook, who has scored 850 runs in 17 ODI innings as captain at an average of 60.7 and a strike rate of 118.
Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell are expected to open, with Joe Root providing experience in the middle order. Jos Buttler, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Sam Curran and Liam Dawson offer additional batting options.
Adil Rashid will lead England’s spin attack and is closing in on 150 ODI wickets. The hosts’ pace options include Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood and Josh Tongue.
India have won seven of the nine bilateral ODI series played between the teams since 2010. The visitors will hope to maintain that record while establishing combinations for the World Cup.
The match begins at 3:30 p.m. IST and will be televised on Sony Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
Squads:
England: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, James Coles, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Joe Root and Josh Tongue.
India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice captain), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav. (Source: IANS)
