India face England in first home ODI since 2023 WC
What's the story
After a thrilling T20I series, India and England are set to clash in the 1st ODI on February 6 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
While India will feature in their first home ODI since the 2023 ODI World Cup, England have a point to prove.
The series will be a litmus test for both sides ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Record
A look at head-to-head record
India and England share a rich history, having clashed in 107 ODIs. The Men in Blue have won 58 games while England own 44 wins. Two matches have ended in a tie (NR: 3).
At home, the hosts have won 34 of the 52 ODIs against the Brits while losing 17 (NR: 1). In ODIs, the two teams last met in the 2023 WC.
Details
Pitch report and average first-innings score
Traditionally, the pitch at the VCA Stadium is spin-friendly. However, in white-ball cricket, it can also lead to high-scoring matches owing to a few cracks on the deck.
The team that negotiates the middle overs well will have an edge going by ODI trends.
The VCA Stadium has hosted nine ODIs between 2009 and 2019, with the average first innings score being 288 runs.
Information
Where to watch?
The Star Sports Network will broadcast the 1st ODI live, while live-streaming is available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match begins at 1:30pm IST, with the toss taking place 30 minutes prior to the start.
Combinations
Will Varun Chakravarthy play?
In a suprising move, India added Varun Chakravarthy to their ODI squad two days before the 1st ODI.
Although Chakravarthy was the star of India's T20I series win, the Indian squad already have plenty of spinners.
On the other hand, Joe Root's return will bolster England. He is expected to solve England's problem of playing spin in India.
Probable XI
England announce Playing XI; India's Probable XI
India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wicket-keeper), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Saqib Mahmood.
Milestones
A look at approaching milestones
Root is one runs shy of completing 50 maximums in ODI cricket.
Meanwhile, Jos Buttler needs 173 runs to touch 1,000 ODI runs in Asia.
Shami needs five scalps to complete 200 wickets in ODI cricket.
Jadeja can become the leading wicket-taker in India-England ODIs.
Kohli (13,906) can easily become the fastest to 14,000 runs in ODI cricket. He has featured in 295 matches.
Information
Team India's homecoming!
As mentioned, India will play their first ODI at home since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which resulted in heartbreak for them. India played only three ODIs last year during their tour to Sri Lanka.