India begin their ODI World Cup preparations against England with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah returning, while several key milestones are also within touching distance.
India will look to leave behind their disappointing T20I campaign when they face England in the opening ODI of the three-match series at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
More than a bilateral contest, the series marks the beginning of India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with the return of senior stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah providing a timely boost.
Sharma is expected to resume his successful opening partnership with captain Shubman Gill, who has been India's standout ODI batter this year.
Gill has amassed 373 runs in five innings at an average of 93.25, including a century and three fifties.
Sharma, meanwhile, returns with an impressive record in England, having scored seven ODI centuries in the country, the most by any visiting batter.
Kohli also has major milestones in sight. The batting great is set to play his 300th ODI innings and needs 203 more runs to become only the third player in history to reach 15,000 ODI runs.
India's middle order will be anchored by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, with the latter expected to keep wickets.
India's bowling attack receives its biggest boost with Bumrah's return to the ODI setup for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.
He is likely to lead the pace attack alongside Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will handle spin duties. Yadav is just six wickets away from completing 200 ODI wickets.
England, led by Harry Brook, will bank on Joe Root's consistency, Ben Duckett's aggressive starts and veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who is closing in on 150 ODI wickets.
Brook has also impressed since taking over the ODI captaincy, scoring 850 runs in 17 innings at an average of over 60.
India holds the edge in recent meetings, having won seven of the last nine bilateral ODI series against England since 2010.
With less than 15 months remaining for the next ODI World Cup, both teams will be keen to test combinations and build momentum in the 50-over format.
Match details
- Match: India vs England, 1st ODI
- Date: July 14
- Time: 3:30 PM IST
- Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Live telecast: Sony Sports Network
- Live streaming: JioHotstar app and website
Published: 13 Jul 2026, 03:40 pm IST
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