After a T20 series which took a while to get going before it exploded into life, India and England begin a three match ODI series in Nagpur on Thursday with both teams immediately having a chance to go one up with two to play.
This series has a lot more context to it than the T20 matches had because both will be competing in the Champions Trophy later in the month and this is a chance for both to show their qualities ahead of that tournament and lay a bit of a marker down.
India
India went into the T20 series as the world champions and performed to that level. They were only finalists in their own World Cup in 2023 though and will want to make up for that when they get to the Champions Trophy later in the month. You do get the impression that this is an Indian white ball team that is in a bit of a transition and that is highlighted by the fact that they only played one ODI series in 2024 and this will be their first one of 2025.
They lost that series in Sri Lanka with what you would describe as a second string squad but that certainly isn’t the case here. India are signalling their attentions of having a strong Champions Trophy by bringing most of their experienced class acts back for the game. That will make them a much stronger force with the bat, which they will need to be if they want to win that Champions Trophy. The question mark will be whether they can sustain their intensity with the ball over the entire 50 overs having not played the format for so long.
England
England begin a new ODI era in this series and they will be hoping to see a dramatic improvement in their fortunes too. The last time they were in India to play ODI cricket was at the World Cup in 2023 and they were terrible so they will want to be much better than that. Brendon McCullum has been given the reins of the white ball side and so we can expect an extremely aggressive England approach with the bat and the ball. They might go for runs but they will look to take wickets.
These will be the first ODI matches that England have played since the beginning of November when they went down 2-1 to West Indies but with a fresh start here it will be interesting to see how England fare. You get the feeling that England will be better stocked with the bat in ODI cricket because of the longer innings whereas in the T20 matches they went with the extra wicket taking bowler. That will put pressure on the bowlers to deliver up front if they are going to contain India.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on the series (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
Team News
India have recalled the majority of their big guns for this series with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja all expected to feature in this opening match. There was talk of Varun Chakravarty making his ODI debut but those noises have quietened.
England have confirmed their starting XI for this match and they have recalled Joe Root to the ODI side. He will bat at number three and will come in for Jamie Overton from the T20 matches. Saqib Mahmood gets the third seamer spot ahead of Mark Wood.
Betting
This isn’t ever going to be the easiest match to bet on from the point of view that it is only the fourth India ODI in 14 months and England are under a new stewardship in terms of their head coach so I would like to see the two teams in action against each other before I form strong opinions on them either way. My hunch is that India will win a lower scoring match than is expected but I’ll wait and see how both teams play before I get stuck in.
There is one bet that I like here though and it comes in a low looking player performance. That belongs to Ravindra Jadeja who has a line of 34.5. Jadeja has a good record against England to the extent that his batting average against them of 42.41 is much higher than his ODI average of 32.42 while his bowling average of 24.41 is a country mile better than his overall ODI average of 36.07. In 26 ODIs against England, Jadeja has covered this total with the bat five times, and with the ball 11 times. In all, with catches involved too, he has covered this total 18 times. England were ordinary against spin in the T20 matches and aren’t likely to change tact here so with three scoring methods I expect Jadeja to go beyond 34.5 points in this opening ODI.
Tips
Back R.Jadeja’s Performance – Over 34.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Betfair
