England playing XI for the 1st ODI vs India: Senior England batsman Joe Root will be making his comeback to ODI cricket in the upcoming first ODI of the three-match series against India.
The three-ODI IND vs ENG series will get underway on February 6 at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. On the eve of the match, England announced their playing XI.
While 10 players of England’s playing XI for the first ODI featured in the recently concluded T20I series, which they lost 4-1, Root is the one returning to white-ball international action for the first time since the World Cup 2023.
Root’s last ODI outing was against Pakistan in Kolkata during the World Cup 2023. In that competition, Root had failed to fire as he did in the 2019 World Cup at home, resulting in England’s ouster before the semi-final stage. That included a loss to Afghanistan as well.
Root is going to be the key man for England in the IND vs ENG ODI series and the following ICC Champions Trophy 2025 because of his terrific ability to play the spinners. The England batsmen struggled against the Indian spinners during the T20I series, particularly against Varun Chakravarthy, who has been included in India’s squad for the ODI series as well.
This is the first ODI series for England under head coach Brendon McCullum, who has taken over the all-format duties.
England’s pace attack in Nagpur will include Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, and Brydon Carse, while the spin attack consists of Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Root. Mark Wood, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, and Gus Atkinson have been left on the bench. This series gives another opportunity for England to see more of Bethell, who has played eight ODIs so far.
The England batsmen have been under criticism during their 4-1 loss in the T20I series. Much of the criticism was down to the batsmen losing their wickets while playing aggressive shots.
Ahead of the ODI series, Buttler responded,
“We want to find ways to put pressure on the opposition with the bat. It’s always about execution, really. Whether you want to be aggressive, conservative, or measured, you’ve still got to go out there, execute it, and play it well.”
England playing XI for the 1st ODI vs India:
Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Jofra Archer
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
