IND vs ENG 1st ODI: India will kick off the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with the three-match ODI series against England, starting from Thursday, February 06, 2025. It’s a day-night match and will be played at the VCA Jamtha Stadium, in Nagpur.
As expected, the big guns have returned to the ODI fold. The team will be led by Rohit Sharma, while the likes of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant are also in line to play the first ODI match. For the uninitiated, thre trio of Rohit, Virat and R. Jadeja retired from the T20Is following India’s win in the 2024 T20I World Cup.
IND vs ENG 1st ODI: Ravindra Jadeja to be dropped?
Former Indian opener Akash Chopra discussed about India’s potential Playing XI in the first ODI match against England. He opined that star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja might find it hard to get a place in India’s Playing XI for the first ODI match.
“I feel you will 100 per cent get a batter at No. 8 because this team does not have that much confidence in batting at the moment. So, one bowler will get compromised. Two of the three finger-spining all-rounders who bat left-handed will play. I feel Axar will get the first place. Washington Sundar will get the second place and you will have a wrist-spinner in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, and then the two fast bowlers. I feel there might not be a place for Jaddu,” Akash Chopa said in a video on his YouTube channel
Akash Chopra On Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar is fast becoming a mainstay in India’s playing XI in all forms of cricket. He played ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin in the Perth Test match in the Border-Gavaskar series and did a fair job during the rest of the series as well.
“I felt GG (Gambhir) liked him a lot because he was selected out of turn. From nowhere did it seem that Washi would come for the Pune Test. He came, played, and did well too. He played the Test match in Perth as well and (Ravichandran) Ashwin didn’t. So, he was getting a chance to play first. However, suddenly, they have played him here (T20Is), but not used him well. They want to give him confidence but are unable to do so. However, I feel you can give him the confidence in ODI cricket. He might not have the power game in T20s at No. 8 or No. 9, but you can send him up the order in ODIs if there is a collapse and you need a left-hander, and he will do a very decent job,” the cricketer-turned commentator added.
India’s Squad For three match ODI series against England
India ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
