IND vs ENG 1st ODI: KL Rahul set to pip Rishabh Pant; Will Varun Chakaravarthy make debut in Nagpur ODI?

Rohit Sharma’s men will begin their final preparatory lap for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy after having played only three ODIs last year. The team combinations could bear a few experiments as India aim to iron their weaknesses amidst uncertainty over their seam spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler’s England have named their squad with former captain Joe Root returning to the XI for the first time since November 2023.

IND vs ENG 1st ODI Match LIVE Full Scorecard: Watch Here

Here is a look at India’s predicted XI for the first ODI against England

Rahul set to pip Pant

With India captain Rohit Sharma mentioning the team has a good headache in the KL Rahul-Rishabh Pant wicket-keeper situation, it will be interesting how things pa out throughout the series. However, Rohit was quick to admit that continuity will be integral and that Rahul has done a decent job over the last few seasons.

“KL Rahul has been keeping wickets for us in the ODI format for a number of years now. He has done pretty well. If you look at the last 10-15 ODIs, he has done exactly what the team required him to do. Rishabh as well. He is there. We have got an option of playing either one of them. Both are quite capable of winning games on their own. It is a good predict to have whether to play KL or Rishabh. But obviously, looking at what we have done in the past, having that continuity is also very important for us. That is where we stand as a team with KL and Rishabh,” said Rohit in the pre-match press conference.

#TeamIndia captain Rohit Sharma is ready to take fresh guard ahead of the ODI series against England@IDFCFIRSTBank | @ImRo45 | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/DJVZju0LOV

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 5, 2025

READ MORE: ‘What kind of a question is that?’ – Rohit Sharma loses composure on being asked about his form and future

Will Varun Chakaravarthy make his ODI debut?

India seemed keen to see Varun Chakaravarthy’s wares after his brilliant exploits in the T20Is and the 33-year-old was immediately fast-tracked to join the side in Nagpur. The Tamil Nadu spinner had an extensive bowling session at the ground on Tuesday and could be line to make his ODI debut and assert his dominance against the Englishmen yet again.

India predicted Playing XI for first ODI ve England: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.

England Playing XI for first ODI vs India: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

READ MORE: India vs England 1st ODI Live Score Streaming: When and where to watch IND vs ENG Nagpur match?

India vs England ODI squads

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Varun Chakravarthy, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar.

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