Virat Kohli Returns for England-India ODI Series: Full Playing XIs and Captains’ Insights

India will aim to recover from a subpar T20I campaign as they face England in the first ODI of their bilateral series at Edgbaston on Tuesday, July 14.

ENG vs IND: Toss Update

England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to bat first under favorable conditions in Birmingham. The right-handed opener praised the pitch as “excellent for batting” and expressed hope for spin-friendly conditions in the second innings, eyeing the contributions of Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson.

India captain Shubman Gill had opted to bowl first but acknowledged the challenge of countering Brook’s aggressive declaration.

ENG vs IND: Virat Kohli Returns to India’s ODI Side

Virat Kohli has made his ODI comeback after recovering from injury, missing India’s recent series against Afghanistan. The 35-year-old will bat at number three, flanked by openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. Jasprit Bumrah also returns to the ODI lineup for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, where India suffered a defeat to Australia.

ENG vs IND: What Did the Captains Say?

Harry Brook, England Captain

“We’re going to bat today. The surface looks good, don’t quite know what’s going to happen, but we fancy our chances batting first. Hopefully, we can get a little bit of spin in the second innings. [On the build-up to the 2027 World Cup] Same as what we did in the T20s. We’ve got to assess conditions quickly, communicate well, and see where we land. [On squad consistency] We’ve mirrored our T20 and ODI squads, which brings trust in the team and my leadership. We’re confident this XI can challenge India. [On recent ODI inconsistency] We’ve struggled recently, but today marks a new chapter. We’ve got the squad to perform consistently. [On team composition] We’ve declared two spinners and three fast bowlers.”

Shubman Gill, India Captain

“We chose to bowl first. [On T20I preparation] Most players played T20s, while others rested. I trained here ahead of the series, so the team vibe is strong. [On 2027 World Cup implications] This series in conditions similar to South Africa will trial new combinations and give less-experienced players game time. [On senior players’ return] Virat Bhai, Rohit Bhai, KL, and Bumrah joins us—massive experience. [On leading in England] Excited to add memories here. [On playing XI] Four seamers including Dube, two spinners—Axar and Washi.”

ENG vs IND: Playing XIs

England:

Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid

India:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

Source link