IND vs ENG: The Englishmen have announced their squad for both the Champions Trophy and also the ODI series, which will be played against India under the guidance of legendary coach Brendon McCullum.
McCullum has produced some insane results with the red-ball side, as players like Harry Brook and Ben Duckett have grown from being test players to gems of cricketers across all formats. The recent find of the English team includes their young and dynamic batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who has already created a stir in international as well as franchise-level cricket.
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The England squad has recalled the services of Joe Root for the ODI series as well as the Champions Trophy.
England Squad: Jos Buttler (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, and Mark Wood.
India has been the world’s finest among ODI sides and is currently named the world’s No. 1 ODI side despite losing the last World Cup final to the Aussies on their own home soil.
India was much into the controversy over the Champions Trophy as they proposed a neutral venue since the government as well as the BCCI did not let the team travel to the neighboring nation of Pakistan, who are currently coined as hosts for the ICC event.
Most obvious Indian players for the ODI series against England
The Indian side for the final one-day series before the ICC Champions Trophy would undoubtedly include the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, who might be featuring in his final ICC event in limited-overs cricket.
Also, the likes of veteran batter Virat Kohli, rising Indian superstar Shubman Gill, legendary paceman Jaspirt Bumrah, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant might be considered the assured choices for the Men in Blue for the white-ball series.
New players who might make their debut or comeback into the Indian white-ball side
The first name that would come to anyone’s head for the ODI series would be the return of Mumbai skipper Shreyas Iyer, who has been in the best of touch in domestic cricket in 2024.
After a commendable CWC 2023, he failed to make it to the Indian side as well as obtain a contract from the BCCI. However, the IPL-winning skipper went on to lead Mumbai to their SMAT title, and the highlight has been the stunning form of the skipper with the bat in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, as well as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he began with a stunning hundred. Iyer’s return will again add strength to the Indian middle order, which now also has Rishabh Pant.
Secondly, KL Rahul has been making an impact with the bat for India in the BGT; however, will he be considered for the Indian white-ball side, especially when Rishabh Pant can be sighted as the primary gloveman? However, undoubtedly, KL Rahul remains one of the best options as a backup opener.
Finally, it might be high time that India considered the dynamic opening batsman, Yashasvi Jaiswal, for the opening spot in the ODI team, as Gill was not particularly exceptional in the last Cricket World Cup he played in.
The likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy might once again be considered as the backup all-rounder for India, considering Hardik Pandya’s fitness, which was a huge setback for India during the last Cricket World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja might be doubtful to feature any further in the limited-overs format, as Axar Patel might be considered the better among the spin-bowling all-rounders.
India’s predicted squad for the England ODI Series
- Openers: Rohit Sharma [C], Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill
- Middle-Order Batters: Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer
- Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and KL Rahul
- All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar
- Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh
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