Big News: England announce playing XI for 1st ODI against India, superstar batter returns to fold after 14-month-long gap

England have finally announced their playing XI for the first ODI against India which is scheduled to played on February 6 in Nagpur. The major inclusion in England's playing XI is their superstar batter Joe Root who will coming to the fold after a long gap of 14 months.

England's playing XI for 1st ODI vs India revealed

The last time he featured for England in ODI set up was in the ODI World Cup 2023 in November 2023. Root's last ODI appearance came in the ODI World Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan in Kolkata on 11 November 2023. Root, who was not included in the T20I squad, recently played for the Paarl Royals in the SA20 league in South Africa. His return comes after England suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of India in the T20I series.

Despite this loss, which marked head coach Brendon McCullum's first white-ball assignment, captain Jos Buttler has reiterated that England will maintain their aggressive brand of cricket in the 50-over format. Buttler cited India captain Rohit Sharma's explosive opening performances in the last World Cup as inspiration for this approach.

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England's batting lineup will see Ben Duckett and Phil Salt opening, followed by Joe Root returning to his familiar No. 3 position. Captain Jos Buttler will bat behind Harry Brook at No. 5. The all-rounder spots will be filled by Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell. England's bowling attack will consist of three seamers: Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Saqib Mahmood, alongside veteran spinner Adil Rashid.

“We want to play in exactly the same way. We want to find ways to put pressure on the opposition with the back. You’ve got to take wickets, I think it’s crucial you see how if you let guys bat for a period of time, they can go on to that. We’ll be desperate to try and find ways of taking wickets. It’s always about execution, really,” Buttler said during the pre-match conference ahead of first ODI against India.

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England's playing XI for 1st ODI vs India:

Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, AdiL Rashid, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood.

England squad for India ODI series:

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