England Bat First In Birmingham As Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Return For India’s ODI Opener

England captain Harry Brook won the toss and decided to bat first in the opening ODI at Edgbaston, believing the surface would be at its best for batting before slowing down later in the game. He said his team would continue with the aggressive mindset shown in the T20 format while remaining flexible according to match conditions.

The fixture marked a memorable occasion for England as Jos Buttler became only the second England player to feature in 200 One-Day Internationals after Eoin Morgan.

Fast bowler Josh Tongue received his maiden ODI cap, while left-arm spinner Liam Dawson completed 50 international appearances across all formats.

India skipper Shubman Gill admitted he would have preferred to field first because of the conditions but remained confident with the team’s combination. He said the series would help less-experienced players gain valuable exposure while benefiting from the presence of senior campaigners.

Gill welcomed the return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah, saying their experience would provide stability to the side. He also recalled his successful Test tour of England and expressed hope of carrying that momentum into the ODI series.

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna.

England: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue and Adil Rashid.

Also Read: India Build Up 2027 World Cup Preparation As Rohit, Kohli And Bumrah Return For England ODI Series