England vs India, 1st ODI, India tour of England, 2026 - CommentaryENG vs IND, 1st ODI, India tour of England, 2026 - Commentary
Start Time
3:30 PM
10:00 AMGMT
11:00 AMLOCAL
Match starts at Jul 14, 10:00 GMT
Have Your Say
England (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid
Preview
Will a change in format result in a change in fortunes for India? The visitors head into the opening ODI against England in Birmingham looking for a fresh start after a torrid run in recent weeks in T20Is despite retaining their crown earlier this year. Questions over the team's direction under Gautam Gambhir have resurfaced, but the 50-over format offers an opportunity to reset with a vastly different-looking squad.
The biggest boost for India is the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose presence instantly transforms both the batting order and the dressing room. Apart from those two, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill also return as India continue their march towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. After a young side struggled for consistency in the shortest format, the visitors will hope their seasoned campaigners can bring much-needed stability against an England side brimming with confidence.
Brendon McCullum's side dominated the T20Is with noteworthy performances from the bowling department before Jos Buttler and Harry Brook exploded in the final game. They will be eager to carry that momentum into the 50-over leg to ensure their head coach doesn't face the heat after just losing his Test gig. While bilateral cricket continues to chase relevance, this series will be vital for the hosts who haven't been consistent in this format for a while. Since the start of 2025, they have suffered series losses to India, South Africa and New Zealand and failed to reach the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. They did win a series earlier this year in Sri Lanka though and that should give them some confidence.
For India, this opening game is all about restoring confidence within the squad and reminding everyone why they remain one of the world's strongest white-ball outfits. For a change, the spotlight will be on both the coaches at the same time.
What: England vs India, 1st ODI on July 14, 2026 at 11 AM local time (3.30 PM IST)
Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham
What to expect: The skies are expected to be clear for the game. The last time (May 2025) an ODI was played at this venue, England hammered 400 and bowled West Indies out for just 162. However, South Africa and Pakistan played out a low-scoring thriller just last month in the Women's T20 World Cup.
Team News
England
The hosts have announced their XI a day before the game. There's confirmation that Jacob Bethell will open the innings as they continue their quest to find the ideal opening partner for Ben Duckett.
Confirmed XI: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid
India
India's biggest problem is the Hardik Pandya hole in the XI. Will Shivam Dube get the nod or will the visitors stick to picking just the two spin bowling allrounders?
Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah
Did you know:
Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, only Zimbabwe have a lower win percentage than England in the ODI format among full-member teams.
Bumrah hasn't played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final.
What they said:
"If any team has an experienced lineup, then experience helps a lot in pressure situations because you've been in that situation many times and have done well and badly. You get a sense of calmness when you're under pressure. So I think experience is very important in any lineup" - Shubman Gill
Will a change in format result in a change in fortunes for India? The visitors head into the opening ODI against England in Birmingham looking for a fresh start after a torrid run in recent weeks in T20Is despite retaining their crown earlier this year. Questions over the team's direction under Gautam Gambhir have resurfaced, but the 50-over format offers an opportunity to reset with a vastly different-looking squad.
The biggest boost for India is the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose presence instantly transforms both the batting order and the dressing room. Apart from those two, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill also return as India continue their march towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. After a young side struggled for consistency in the shortest format, the visitors will hope their seasoned campaigners can bring much-needed stability against an England side brimming with confidence.
Brendon McCullum's side dominated the T20Is with noteworthy performances from the bowling department before Jos Buttler and Harry Brook exploded in the final game. They will be eager to carry that momentum into the 50-over leg to ensure their head coach doesn't face the heat after just losing his Test gig. While bilateral cricket continues to chase relevance, this series will be vital for the hosts who haven't been consistent in this format for a while. Since the start of 2025, they have suffered series losses to India, South Africa and New Zealand and failed to reach the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. They did win a series earlier this year in Sri Lanka though and that should give them some confidence.
For India, this opening game is all about restoring confidence within the squad and reminding everyone why they remain one of the world's strongest white-ball outfits. For a change, the spotlight will be on both the coaches at the same time.
What: England vs India, 1st ODI on July 14, 2026 at 11 AM local time (3.30 PM IST)
Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham
What to expect: The skies are expected to be clear for the game. The last time (May 2025) an ODI was played at this venue, England hammered 400 and bowled West Indies out for just 162. However, South Africa and Pakistan played out a low-scoring thriller just last month in the Women's T20 World Cup.
Team News
England
The hosts have announced their XI a day before the game. There's confirmation that Jacob Bethell will open the innings as they continue their quest to find the ideal opening partner for Ben Duckett.
Confirmed XI: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid
India
India's biggest problem is the Hardik Pandya hole in the XI. Will Shivam Dube get the nod or will the visitors stick to picking just the two spin bowling allrounders?
Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah
Did you know:
Since the start of the 2023 World Cup, only Zimbabwe have a lower win percentage than England in the ODI format among full-member teams.
Bumrah hasn't played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final.
What they said:
"If any team has an experienced lineup, then experience helps a lot in pressure situations because you've been in that situation many times and have done well and badly. You get a sense of calmness when you're under pressure. So I think experience is very important in any lineup" - Shubman Gill
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan(w), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Shivam Dube, Prasidh Krishna
England Squad: Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Banton, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, James Coles, Rehan Ahmed
