Published 07:41 IST, February 5th 2025
Mohammed Shami Returns; Toss-up Between KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant - India's Likely Predicted Playing XI For 1st ODI vs England
Team India take on England in the opening ODI at Nagpur and this is their last chance to get the combinations right ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Team India take on England in the opening ODI at Nagpur and this is their last chance to get the combinations right ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. These are three ODI's they can get their house in order and be well-oiled for the mega event. For India, they would be without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been out of action since the Sydney Test in Australia. While he looks to get back in the mix soon, the big addition to the Indian unit is the return of Mohammed Shami. The Bengal pacer has recently made a comeback to international cricket during the T20Is against England. Spotlight would be on him to see how fit he is. He was the star for India during the 2023 ODI World Cup .
Without a doubt, one understands that Yashasvi Jaiswal may have to wait a little longer for his ODI debut as skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to open at Nagpur. And the, arguably the best batter of the generation, Virat Kohli , will walk in at his preferred No. 3 spot. With his ability to rotate the strike and then play the big shots, Shreyas Iyer would be an important cog in the wheel for India in the middle-overs.
Pant-Rahul Dilemma
There would certainly be a toss-up between Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. But again, what would work in Pant's favour is the fact that he is a left-hander. Also, Pant has a century in ODI cricket, along with five fifties. He could edge Rahul to the XI. Interesting call here.
Allrounders Next
The three allrounders would follow next. It would be Hardik Pandya at No. 6, Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7 and Washington Sundar at No. 8. Those three in the middle and lower middle-order would be expected to provide the finishing kick to the innings.
Kuldeep Yadav in all probability plays as the sole specialist spinner and Arshdeep Singh along with Shami would be the pacers.
Updated 07:48 IST, February 5th 2025