The big picture: The atmosphere of vulnerability at both camps
There are two Indias.
There are two Indias, but there are three forms. So, where exactly are they standing, as the nasty middle format gets this unusual chance in the spotlight? ODI India is still India of Rohit and Kohli, but what does that mean for India, Rohit and Kohli? Ahead of these three ODIs for England and subsequent Champions Trophy, there are a few questions hanging in India, which seems the most urgent for now.
But the vulnerability and invincible broadcasts come according to the outcome. India – Other India certainly – fresh from the victory of the 4-1 T20I series, and should count themselves as heavy favorites against the English side that emerges from that T20I result, after the poor , I’m still trying to find my feet in ODI.
So, I’m here. Rohit and Kohli India and Butler and Root England are unsure where they stand in the ODI with the launch of major ODI tournaments in two weeks.
Form Guide
India lltwl (finishing the last 5 ODIs, the latest first)
Englandlwllw
Joe Root has been out of the UK’s ODI side since the league stage exit from the 2023 World Cup•Michael Steel/Getty Images
In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya and Joe Root
Kl Rahul or Rishabh Pant? India has the option to oppose the UK•Getty Image
Team News: England Restmark Wood
India (possibility): 1 Rohit Sharma (Capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shrayas Iyer, 5 kl Rahul/Rishabh Pant (WK), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 and 8 Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar , 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami
UK: 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Jos Butler (captain), 6 Liam Livingston, 7 Jacob Bethel, 8 Bridon Kurth, 9 Jofra・Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 saqibib Mahmoud
Pitch and conditions
At Nagpur, daytime temperatures in the low 30s are expected to be sunny and sunny. Pitches at VCA stadiums in recent years have tended to provide a substantial amount of help to spinners who appreciate this long boundary of ground. The final three ODIs in Nagpur were all the Indian and Australia contests won by the hosts. 351 memorable pursuits in 2013 were equipped with one of Kohli’s very few hundred, followed by significantly lower scoring matches in 2017 and 2019.
Statistics and Trivia: Virat kohli at 14,000 Cusps
India (2-3) and England (4-7) have negative victory records in ODI since the end of the 2023 World Cup. Kohli has run 94 times from the ODI’s 14,000 mark. Only Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) have more runs in this format. Mohamed Shami is five wickets from becoming 200 Indian bowlers at ODI. From the last era of the 2023 World Cup, Butler played 23 games on England (3 ODIs and 20 T20I) and Route 17 (all tests).
Quotation
“The World Cup was a year and a half ago, so obviously we need to reorganize as a group now and think about what we need to do here (…) It’s just coming together – that’s me It’s been a while since. VE played this format – it’s just in the World Cup where we’re about to leave (off) during the World Cup.”
Rohit Sharma is practical when India returns to ODI format
“I was looking back at the World Cup (2023) and the two teams in the final were playing cricket with a really positive and offensive brand. What was successful was this was playing cricket fashion (Sharma). To do this, he can play himself as captain and play towards that style of cricket. So, absolutely, we want to do the exact same thing.
Jos Butler is clear about the approach he wants England to adopt bats
Karthik Krishnaswamy is the assistant editor for ESPNcricinfo