England won the toss and chose to bat in the first ODI against India in Nagpur, marking the start of a three-match series.
India’s biggest setback is the absence of Virat Kohli, who suffered a right knee injury on Wednesday evening. As a result, Rohit Sharma leads a squad featuring a mix of experience and fresh faces, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana making their ODI debuts. The hosts’ top four have changed entirely from their 4-1 T20I series win, while KL Rahul has been preferred over Rishabh Pant for wicketkeeping duties. Kuldeep Yadav returns as a key spin option alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, while Mohammed Shami joins Rana in the pace attack.
Jos Buttler features in just his fourth ODI since the 2023 World Cup, while Joe Root returns to the format after their disappointing title defense. Saqib Mahmood, playing his third ODI in three years, joins Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse in a three-man pace attack, with Mark Wood resting. England’s spin options include Adil Rashid, supported by part-timers Root, Liam Livingstone, and Jacob Bethell.
Both teams aim to fine-tune their squads ahead of the Champions Trophy, given their inconsistent ODI form since the last World Cup. India has won just two of their last six ODIs, while England has a 4-7 record.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
England: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood.
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