ENG vs IND | 1st ODI | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

The 1st ODI of the three-match series between England and India will take place at the Kennington Oval in London on Tuesday, July 12.

The focus of India's tour of England shifts to the 'forgotten format', and both sides will be looking to build ahead of the upcoming World Cup in India scheduled for next year.

The last time these two sides locked horns in a 50-over rubber, we witnessed three epic back-to-back high run-scoring games, with India edging the ledger 2-1.

That said, India have had their struggles in this format since the last World Cup. In this period, the Men in Blue have lost series to New Zealand, Australia, and more recently to South Africa, where they were whitewashed earlier this year.

There are many reasons why India has struggled to get going in this format. While the lack of availability of first-choice players like Rohit Sharma for various reasons is one of them, their batters' inability to convert the 50s into 100s and lack of wickets upfront are the significant factors.

Since the last World Cup, no side has registered more scores between 50-99 than India. Moreover, their opening bowling pair is averaging 36 in the powerplay.

With Virat Kohli unlikely to play in the first game due to a suspected side strain, it will be interesting to see if they slot in Ishan Kishan or Shreyas Iyer in their playing XI.

Mohammed Shami has been one of the best powerplay bowlers in ODIs, while Prasidh Krishna did well against the West Indies. They will form a pace trio with Jasprit Bumrah, while Chahal and Jadeja will be the two spinners to control the middle phases.

As for the world champions, England have blown hot and cold in this format since their heist in 2019. One of the reasons being the lack of consistent game time and the lack of depth in their bowling.

Since the 2019 WC, England have won 13 out of the 21 games they have played, which includes series defeats to Australia, India, and a loss to Ireland.

The addition of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Stokes will add depth to their batting line-up, which they missed in the T20Is, while Brydon Carse could get a look-in.

Match Details:

Match: England vs India, 1st ODI

Venue: The Kennington Oval, London

Date & Time: July 12 at 05:30 PM IST

Live Streaming: Sony Liv App

Pitch Report:

The surface at the Oval has generally been a belter for batters. The average 1st innings score here is 248, and while teams chasing first usually have done well here, the trend seems to have changed in the last five years, with teams batting first winning on 7 out of 13 instances.

Head-To-Head:

Matches Played: 103

England Won: 43

India Won: 55 

Tied: 2

No Result: 3

Playing XI:

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler (C & WK), Moeen Ali, David Willey, Matt Parkinson, Reece Topley, Brydon Carse

India: Rohit Sharma ©, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli/Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Shami, Yuvzendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

CREX XI Suggestion:

Wicket-keeper: Jos Buttler, Rishabh Pant

Batters: Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav

All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley

Captain: Rohit Sharma

Vice-captain: Joe Root