Updated 16:18 IST, February 4th 2025
Gautam Gambhir And Rohit Sharma's Big Call In IND vs ENG ODI Series Might Decide India's Champions Trophy 2025 Fate
The India vs England ODI series starts from February 6, 2025. The series will have three ODI matches before India shift their focus towards Champions Trophy

Champions Trophy 2025 is Rohit Sharma-led Team India's next big assignment. After India's series loss against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, the team has faced a lot of criticism from fans and experts. The Indian team which will have superstars such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pat in their ranks are expected to perform well. On paper, the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy looks invincible, but the chosen players need to be on the top of their game to beat the other seven top sides of the world.
India, who were the finalists of the 2023 ODI World Cup are yet to win a 50 over game in the Gautam Gambhir era. Sri Lanka defeated India 2-0 in the last ODI series that they had played in August 2024. The Indian team management has made a couple of interesting choices for India's Champions Trophy squad and they'll all be put to test in the three-match ODI series against England.
KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant: Indian Team Management In Fix
KL Rahul had been absolutely phenomenal in the 2023 ODI World Cup as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter. This was the time when Indian southpaw Rishabh Pant was still recovering from the injuries of his horrific car accident that happened in December 2023. Both Pant and Rahul have been named in India's Champions Trophy squad.
The upcoming India vs England ODI series will be crucial for Team India. Both Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir will have to make sure that they make their decision real quick as only one of them can feature in India's XI. KL Rahul featuring in the Indian batting order means that there are no left handers in the batting order. If Pant plays, despite his struggles in white ball cricket, then KL Rahul will possibly sit out of the final playing XI.
Rishabh Pant who has played 31 ODIs for India has scored 871 runs at a strike rate of 106.22. Pant averages 33.5 in the fifty over format. KL Rahul on the other hand who has played 77 ODIs for India, averages 49.16 and has scored a total of 2851 runs.
India Eye Another Series Win Against England
India recently defeated England 4-1 in the T20I series. The focus now shifts to the ODIs which will be played in Nagpur, Cuttack and Ahmedabad. The India vs England series will be a kind of dress rehearsal for the Indian team, ahead of the much-awaited Champions Trophy.
Published 16:18 IST, February 4th 2025