Yashasvi Jaiswal (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
India will soon announce their playing XI for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma is expected to lead the side and Virat Kohli will remain a vital cog in the top-order in the format. It will be interesting to see if Yashasvi Jaiswal is selected in the playing contingent – he is yet to make his debut in ODI cricket for India. There are also some interesting choices for the selectors to make in the bowling line-up. Will Jasprit Bumrah be fit in time for the mega event in Pakistan and UAE? And will Kuldeep Yadav make a comeback to the squad after a long hiatus?
RG analyses.
Will Jaiswal Make his ODI Debut?
It is surprising that Yashasvi Jaiswal who is now India’s premier opener in both Tests and T20I cricket, is yet to make his debut in ODIs! Jaiswal is set to get his maiden chance in the 50-over format in the three-match series against England and subsequently for the Champions Trophy. He has a Test average of 52.88, T20I average of 36.15 with a strike rate of 164.3 and a fantastic List A record where he has hammered 1511 runs in 32 innings at an average of 54 and strike rate of 86.2 with five hundreds! Jaiswal is likely to open with Rohit Sharma.
Gill at Number 3 and Rahul at 5
Shubman Gill may have been in horrendous form with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under but has a stunning record in ODIs. He has had a great start to his 50-over career and has scored 2328 runs in 47 innings at an average of 58.2 and strike rate of 101.7 with six hundreds. Still early days for Gill, but as far as starts go, it does not get better than this! For a minimum of 2000 runs in ODI cricket, he has the best batting average in the format’s history. Gill hasn’t fired in his last four ODIs and would be raring to prove his worth in the England series and Champions Trophy.
With Gill slotted in at number 3, King Kohli might be asked to bat at number 4 at least for the foreseeable future in the line-up. While the Indian legend has batted most of his career at number 3, coming two-down is not alien to Kohli. He has scored 1767 runs in 39 innings from number 4 at an average of 55.21 with seven hundreds. However, the last time Kohli batted at the position was against Australia at the Wankhede in 2020.
KL Rahul has to ahead of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson in the pecking order in ODI cricket. Rahul has a brilliant record in the format with an aggregate of 2851 runs in 72 innings at an average of 49.15 with seven hundreds. Rahul is best suited at number 5 from where he has proven to be a genuine match-winner for India between 2017 and 2023. He has scored 1259 runs in 30 innings from the position at an average of 57.2 and strike rate of 95.45 with two tons and nine fifties.
Pant does not have a great record in the format for India. He strikes at 106 per hundred balls but has scored just six 50-plus scores in 27 innings at an average of 33.5 despite batting at number 4 for the most of his career. He has been inconsistent and produced barely three match-winning knocks in the format.
Samson should be the second wicket-keeper choice – he has outstanding numbers in ODIs with an average of 56.66 and strike rate of 99.6 with one ton and three fifties in 17 innings for the country. Samson smashed a brilliant 108 off 114 deliveries in his last ODI for India – against South Africa in Paarl in 2023.
In an alternate Indian XI, Samson could even slot in as a specialist at number 6.
Shreyas Iyer is also likely to make the squad of 15 but may find it difficult to break into the XI.
Who are the All-rounders?
Hardik Pandya selects himself at number 6. The all-rounders’ bench strength could see Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Ravindra Jadeja may not be picked by the selectors – the veteran all-rounder has not represented India in ODI cricket since the 2023 World Cup final.
Will Bumrah be Fit?
That is a million-dollar question! India need a fit Bumrah against the big teams and the knockout matches at the Champions Trophy. Mohammed Shami is making a comeback and that will bolster the pace unit but Bumrah is currently the best fast bowler across formats in the world. Reports suggest that he might only be fit mid-way into the Champions Trophy – rest assured the selectors will take that risk and name him in the contingent.
Shami’s return is a big plus for India. He has a stunning record in ODI cricket with 195 dismissals in 100 innings at an average of 23.68. He is a big wicket-taker in the format with his strike rate of 25.5 actually the best-ever in the history of ODI cricket (minimum 150 wickets)!
Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh are likely to be the other seamers in the squad.
Kuldeep to Make a Comeback?
Kuldeep Yadav has not played international cricket since October last year and is currently recuperating after a hernia surgery. Kuldeep has a brilliant record in the format and picked 172 wickets in 103 innings at an average of 26 and strike rate of 31.2 with 7 four-wicket hauls and 2 five-wicket hauls. However, if he is unfit, Varun Chakravarthy could be an interesting option. Chakravarthy is the second-highest wicket-taker of the ongoing 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy – India’s premier domestic one-day tournament.
India’s Probable 15 For England ODIs
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Shivam Dube, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Kuldeep Yadav/ Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 13. Sanju Samson, 14. Arshdeep Singh, 15. Shreyas Iyer
India’s Probable 15 For Champions Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Shivam Dube, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Kuldeep Yadav/ Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Mohammed Siraj, 13. Sanju Samson, 14. Arshdeep Singh, 15. Shreyas Iyer
India’s Best XI For Champions Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Shivam Dube, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Kuldeep Yadav
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
