The one-day internationals are back. So are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and this time, Jasprit Bumrah also plays. Well, in fact, Bumrah will be seen playing the format for the first time since the infamous November 19, 2023 when India lost the ODI World Cup final to Australia. So, that bit will be watched carefully. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill would love to have his maiden series win in overseas conditions as ODI captain. But that won’t be easy at all since England will be riding on huge confidence after thrashing India 4-0.
While both Rohit and Kohli have trained immensely before the opening ODI, we take a look at how the Indian team could shape up in the first match on July 14. Barring a couple of players, including Hardik Pandya, this would be a full-strength side.
Gill, Rohit continue, with Kohli, Iyer to follow
India’s top four have seen tremendous success. It is the core that got created around 2022, and has been unchanged so far. You really can’t go wrong with this. Shubman Gill, India’s ODI skipper, is in the peak of his powers. He just hammered 84 and 154 in the two innings he batted against Afghanistan. After watching Wimbledon and all the other sporting events, Gill will be fired up to continue his dashing form up top.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has been toiling hard in the nets to acclimatise to the English conditions, conditions that he has mastered. He averages almost 65 in ODIs in England, and the major reason for it was his 2019 ODI World Cup campaign. This series will be, however, extremely crucial for him and Kohli since there’ll be no ODI matches till September. So, to keep the critics quiet, both superstar needs another fruitful series.
Talking about Kohli, he returns after missing the Afghanistan series. During his epic IPL 2026 final knock for RCB, Kohli got a niggle in his hamstrings and had to sit out. Now, he returns to play the format he dominates. With 54 ODI centuries, he is truly the boss of the game, and Kohli wouldn’t miss any opportunity to show it as well. This series could be his last in England too.
Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, will be smarting from a horror T20I series loss. He failed to do the job as captain in T20Is, enduring cleansweeps to Ireland and England. However, his focus should lie on the task ahead.
He is the vice-captain of the side and now looks to transfer the knowledge he gained by playing 5 T20Is recently. This series for Iyer will be watched carefully due to the fact that he hasn’t bossed the number spot this year, like what we saw in the last two years. So far in six innings, Iyer has scored 118 runs at an average of 23.60 and at a strike rate of 89.39. So, the pressure of putting up a big score will be there, of course.
Ishan Kishan dilemma
Now, there will be questions to answer for the Gautam Gambhir-led management as we move deeper in the batting lineup. KL Rahul’s number five spot should be a no-brainer. He has excelled in whichever role India has given to him. Since the 2023 World Cup final, no player has had a better strike rate than his 105.3, acting as a perfect finisher for the country.
However, he isn’t the only keeper in the side. Ishan Kishan made a remarkable ODI comeback in the last series as he played over Kohli at three. While there’s no number three spot this time around, India might look to add Kishan just to give more cushion to the batting. Like we saw in the T20I series, these English pitches offer something to bowlers all the time. Hence, India may definitely need six batters. If that’s the case, India might just look to play both Rahul and Kishan..
| Player | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 23 | 1011 | 121* | 45.95 | 105.09 | 2/7 |
| Virat Kohli | 19 | 949 | 135 | 59.31 | 97.43 | 4/5 |
| Shubman Gill | 19 | 920 | 154 | 54.11 | 95.53 | 3/5 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 20 | 704 | 79 | 37.05 | 91.42 | 0/6 |
| KL Rahul | 20 | 656 | 112* | 50.46 | 105.29 | 1/3 |
However, the current management has an obsession with all-rounders. With Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar on the bench, the team can look to play either one of them too. In that scenario, there’ll be no room for Kishan since Axar Patel will already be there to stretch the batting.
Dube has been added to the ODI squad to replace Nitish Kumar Reddy. Had Reddy been fit, there would be no headache. He would’ve slotted ideally. But now, India will need to make a choice. We feel Sundar might not start since his bowling hasn’t been utilised properly and he isn’t an ideal finishing option too.
Jasprit Bumrah headlines pace attack; Brar is an interesting choice
Now comes the bowling attack. We all get excited when Bumrah plays, and tomorrow, the modern-day legend finishes his exile from the 50-over format. He had an ordinary IPL 2026 and sat out the one-off Test against Afghanistan as well. With India focusing on the 50-over World Cup, which is in South Africa next year, Bumrah is back in the format, where he averages 23.55 with the ball.
He will headline the pace attack, which has become pretty interesting since the arrival of Gurnoor Brar. The Punjab pacer, who has been warming the bench at Gujarat Titans (GT), has been fast-tracked in the ODI setup. Credit to Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee that they added Brar, who excelled against Afghanistan and has all the raw abilities to do the same in England. A hit-the-deck bowler, who bowls quick and can even find swing up top, Brar should play over Prasidh Krishna.
Meanwhile, since the last ODI World Cup final, Arshdeep Singh (30) and Kuldeep Yadav (27) have taken the most wickets for India in the format. Both should play. Kuldeep, who has been curiously kept outside the Indian T20I team, would love to prove a point. Similarly, Arshdeep is a genuine wicket-taker with the new ball..
Predicted India Playing XI vs ENG: 1st ODI
- Shubman Gill (C)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer (vc)
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Ishan Kishan/Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Gurnoor Brar
- Arshdeep Singh
On bench: Ishan Kishan/Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
India squad for England ODI series
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar
India vs England ODIs schedule
| Match | Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | July 14 (Tuesday) | Edgbaston, Birmingham | 3:30 PM |
| 2nd ODI | July 16 (Thursday) | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | 5:30 PM |
| 3rd ODI | July 19 (Sunday) | Lord’s, London | 3:30 PM |
