Huge task faces England as they look to arrest poor ODI form
With the T20 series out of the way, India and England turn their attention to the 50 over fare as they prepare for their ICC Champions Trophy campaigns. England managed a single win in the five match T20 battle, getting completely outplayed in the last game.
England have played three ODI’s in Nagpur and they have only won there once. That win came against the Netherlands in 2011. Their other two games were against India and Pakistan – both of which were losses. India meanwhile have played 18 ODI’s in Nagpur and won 10 of them. Their most recent game in Nagpur was an eight-run win over Australia in 2019.
Expect runs to flow in Nagpur, the track at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground is traditionally very batsman friendly and this could be a high-scoring affair. The square boundaries are long however so there could be some joy for the spinners if they can deceive batsmen with pace variations or genuine turn. In each of the last four ODIs at the ground at least one century has been scored.
Expect whichever team that wins the toss to bat first.
India v England | 1st ODI | Thursday 6 February 2025 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur | 10:00
India
Jasprit Bumrah is without a doubt the best bowler in the world. He is not available for India and will be sorely missed. His place will be taken by Mohammed Shami who is back in the mix after a long injury layoff. Shami bowled a handful of overs in the T20I series, and it will be interesting to see how he holds up with a full load of ten overs to bowl.
At 33-years-old Varun Chakravarthy is a late-comer to the international cricket party. The leg spinner has yet to be capped in ODIs, but he was outstanding in the T20I series where he took 14 wickets at an average of 9.85 and an economy rate of 7.67. His excellent T20I form saw him added to the ODI squad and he will almost certainly get to play in Nagpur (and if not in Nagpur, he will get a chance before the end of the series).
Expect there to be a lot of focus on Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. His lack of form in recent red ball outings has been alarmingly bad, but he’s back at the helm of the ODI side for the first time in more than six months and he’ll be hoping to use the ODI series to bounce back to his best form. He will be desperate to be firing properly when he arrives for the Champions Trophy.
While there may be question marks surrounding Rohit’s form, he is still the second ranked ODI batsman in the world now. Indeed, according to the ICC rankings India are blessed with Sharma at two, Shubman Gill at three and Virat Kohli at four. Shreyas Iyer is at 11
England
England initially only had only Adil Rashid as a spinning option in their squad. On grounds that play to the strengths of the spinners they have wisely asked Rehan Ahmed to stay on for the ODI series. Expect him to bowl.
While India are without Jasprit Bumrah, England are also missing a key player in the form of wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith.
Brendon McCullum is the new coach of England’s white-ball team. His start with the T20I series was less than auspicious and he will be hoping to see his side improve for the 50 over game. Their recent form has been poor. Coming into the game England have won just three of their last eight ODIs.
Having starred for the Paarl Royals in SA20, Joe Root has now linked up with the England team. He is one of the greatest players of all time across all formats, and perhaps more importantly he was in great form for Paarl. He averaged 55.80 in SA20, and he scored his runs at a strike rate over 140. Expect him to continue his form in Nagpur, where he may even get a chance to bowl – which he did with much success at Boland Park. Root has a great average in India going at 40.78 in ODIs.
While India’s batsmen are all over the top end of the ICC rankings, you must look hard to find an England batsman. As if to give an indication of their poor recent form in the format you have to go all the way down to 40th to find an England batter – Jos Buttler their highest ranked player.
Verdict: India
It’s going to take England some time to get their ODI form back on track. McCullum has a big task on his hands, and while there is undoubted talent in the squad India’s big guns should have far too much firepower on Thursday.
