India hopeful of a promising start to ODI series as England pose formidable challenge

Headline: India hopeful of a promising start to ODI series as England pose formidable challenge

Meta headline: India vs England, 1st ODI, 2025 Preview

Meta description: Rohit Sharma and company hope to rack up important win in series opener against England

After ruling the roost emphatically in the T20Is, Team India is all set to lock horns with England again, this time across three ODIs.

A series that will prove to be a dress rehearsal will be pitting two powerhouses of the sport in a clash to remember. Despite the majestic performance in the shortest format of the game, Rohit Sharma and company will be hopeful of turning the tide around in ODIs after a forgettable defeat against Sri Lanka in the last series.

With three ODIs to be played, the Men in Blue will be hopeful of pocketing some serious momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy. This is India’s second ODI series under the chaperonage of Gautam Gambhir and the two-time World Cup winner will be eyeing a joyous start to the series. In a last-minute adjustment, India introduced Varun Chakravarthy to their ODI squad after a phenomenal performance in the T20I series.

England will also like to garner some confidence ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy after a humbling against West Indies in November. In a stellar display from the Islanders, they clinched the series 2-1, leaving England with much to desire for. With the sights set on ICC Champions Trophy, one might expect this to be an absolute cracker of a contest, especially with both sides desperate to return to winning ways in the 50-over format.

Pitch conditions:

The pitch in Nagpur promises a staggering first innings average score of 288, thereby exhibiting signs of a run-fest to follow. With spring setting in, the chills in the air won’t be too much while the dew factor is a lot less likely to come in. The new ball will move around both ways, especially under the lights. The batters will have to be watchful when the ball hovers around but apart from the swinging bit, the rest of the day should be a conducive one for them.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 107

India: 58

England: 44

Match Details:

India vs England, 1st ODI, 2025

Venue: VCA Stadium, Nagpur

Date: 6th February, 2025

Time: 1:30 PM

Squads:

India: Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

England: Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Philip Salt, Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood