India have named their squad for the three-match ODI series against England as the Men in Blue prepare themselves to overturn the heartbreak of the World Cup 2023 with their eyes on the prize in 2027. They are building their armoury for the same and look to settle the best combinations in the road to the World Cup.
India will be playing at least 17 more ODIs ahead of the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and the assignment against England will be crucial to test their personnel and tighten the combinations to make their picture clearer for the quadrennial showpiece.ย
Virat Kohli back, Bumrah returns; No Jadeja, Siraj
Virat Kohli’s return and Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback for the England ODIs are the biggest talking points from the squad announcement. Kohli has been picked in the squad subject to his fitness clearance. The former India captain had picked up a hamstring injury during the IP 2026 final, which saw him miss the ODIs against Afghanistan.
Bumrah is back too as he is in line to play his first ODI in almost three years since he last featured for India in the 50-over setup in the World Cup 2023 final. Bumrah was last named in India’s ODI squad in the 2025 Champions Trophy but a back issue made him pull out of the series.
Jadeja’s absence raises questions
Another major talking point is the absence of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who missed the Afghanistan Tests and ODIs. India chief selector Ajit Agarkar spoke on his absence, stating that he was rested for the one-off Test and the team wanted to try “other guys” for the Afghanistan ODIs.ย
“With regards to one-day cricket, again, what with 15-16 months left to that World Cup, somewhere around there we want to obviously try and assess what our options are, particularly keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa and give a little bit of exposure to some of the newer guys,” Agarkar had said in mid-May.ย
“I mean, we know what Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel can do, and this is the time we try to give some opportunities to some of the other guys. So with regards to the test, you know he remains our number one spinner, and it’s only this test that we’ve, we’ve not picked him or rested him, rather.”
However, Jadeja later aggravated his tennis elbow, which he was reportedly carrying in the IPL. He aggravated that during Rajasthan Royals’ Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans later in May. His injury timeline is not clear and there has been no communication on his fitness, too. It is also unclear whether the BCCI has moved on from Jadeja in ODIs, or he is still in the radar for the World Cup.
Another notable absence is that of Mohammed Siraj. The fast bowler was recently part of the one-off Test for Afghanistan; however, he was rested for the Ireland and England T20Is as part of his workload management. He is also not part of the England ODIs now.
Other talking points?
Gurnoor Brar has been named for his second ODI series after his impressive debut series against Afghanistan. The beanpole pacer picked up seven wickets in the three matches, three apiece in the first two games and one in the third one as he impressed many with the pace, bounce and precision that he offers.ย
As Hardik Pandya remains out due to the fresh leg strain that he suffered, the series provides Nitish Kumar Reddy with another crucial opportunity to stake his claim for the World Cup. The series also gives further rope to Ishan Kishan, who has impressed on his ODI return with a century against Afghanistan in the second ODI.
India’s squad for England ODIs
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli*, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar.ย (Kohli subject to fitness clearance).
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