India are all set to continue their ongoing white ball series by hosting England in the first of three ODIs. Both sides will lock horns in the first ODI of the series at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. Ahead of the game, there have been several discussions over what lineup India could field in Nagpur. With several stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, and many more included in the squad, the ODI series against England has quickly become a sought-after affair.
With Shubman Gill announced as the vice captain and Rohit Sharma leading the side, both batters could be a guaranteed pick for the Men in Blue in Nagpur. Furthermore, ace India batter Virat Kohli could come in at number three, followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the middle order. The all-rounder duties could be given to the trio of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. With all three all-rounders having proven their repertoire with both the bat and the ball, Rohit Sharma’s men will look to get off to a positive start.
Another major point of discussion has been the inclusion of Varun Chakaravarthy in India’s ODI squad for the England series. The star spinner was added to the squad on the back of outstanding performances in the T20I series, where he was deemed the Player of the Series.
His inclusion in the squad could be a hint to his place in the first ODI as the specialist spinner, with Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh spearheading the pace attack as India look to fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
India predicted playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c) , Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
India's updated squad for England ODIs: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana (first two ODIs), Jasprit Bumrah (third ODI), Varun Chakravarthy
