The Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has announced squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be played next month. Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, the selectors have picked the same squad for both the assignments, but Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness is currently under the scanner, which is why Harshit Rana is picked as a cover for him in the England ODI series.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at India’s probable playing XI versus England for the ODI series at home beginning on February 6.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has set a new standard of attacking the bowlers from the get-go in the first powerplay stage of an ODI game, which propelled his team to great success in the World Cup in 2023. Shubman Gill has been one of the most consistent run-getters in the ODI format for the past couple of years, which is why he is expected to play ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the playing XI, especially since the latter is yet to debut in the 50-overs format.
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Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk)
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has scored a truckload of runs in ODI cricket with insane consistency for the better part of the last 17 years, and that’s why he is the first name on the team sheet. Shreyas Iyer was very impressive with the bat in the ODI World Cup 2023, especially with his match-defining hundred against New Zealand in the semi-final of the tournament in Mumbai.
Rishabh Pant is named as the first choice wicket-keeper of Team India for the England ODIs and Champions Trophy ahead of KL Rahul, but he is yet to play a 50-overs game in more than two years.
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All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel
Hardik Pandya hasn’t played much competitive cricket over the past couple of months, but the all-rounder’s ability to deliver match-winning performances with both bat and ball will keep him in good stead in facing the upcoming challenges against England and in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are quite similar cricketers in terms of delivering ten overs on a regular basis in an ODI game, apart from scoring quick-fire runs in the death overs, and it will allow the Indian management to balance the playing XI better.
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Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Kuldeep Yadav brings variety to the Indian attack with his unorthodox wrist spin bowling, which has proved to be a difference maker in a lot of ODI matches over the past eight years or so. Mohammed Shami is set to make his return to the Indian ODI team after an elongated absence due to multiple injuries, which will bolster the fast bowling attack especially in the England series since Jasprit Bumrah isn’t confirmed to play all the matches due to his injury.
Arshdeep Singh hasn’t played much ODI cricket in his young career, but he has been a proven performer in T20Is for India, which will give him confidence to do well in face of a new challenge.
