1st ODI Live: Focus on Rohit & Virat as India face England in Nagpur

Joe Root is back in England's ODI team for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 34-year-old Root will bat at No. 3 in the first match of the one-day international series against India in Nagpur. It will be his 172nd ODI appearance for England.

Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (w), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

Shreyas Iyer is back in India colours as the hosts gear up for the ODI series against England that is being viewed as a tune-up for the Champions Trophy.

Ahead of the first ODI in Nagpur on Thursday, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) shared a video on X where Shreyas Iyer talks about defining success.

Shreyas Iyer says in the video, "I feel this gap that I got from international cricket has given me a lot of learnings. To be honest, I don't run behind success, I follow a certain type of routine and preparation which will take me towards success. For me champion is…me. It is all in the mind, I personally feel there is no one to support you other than yourself. Keep elevating yourself, transforming yourself from one level to another and you never cry over spilt milk."

Exactly 15 winters ago, on a crisp Nagpur morning, a young man stood on the threshold of his biggest dream. February 6, 2010, was meant to be the day Rohit Sharma slipped into the hallowed Indian whites for the first time. At 24, brimming with nervous energy and promise, he strode onto the Jamtha ground, ready to script the first chapter of a storied career.

The packed stadium at 8.45am buzzed with anticipation. But just as fate had lifted him to that moment, it pulled the rug from under his feet. A warm-up game of football turned disastrous - a twisted ankle, a cruel pause. Moments before receiving his maiden cap, Rohit's dream was snatched away, leaving him on the sidelines for three long years.

Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, will sport a new jersey in the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, starting Thursday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. The BCCI unveiled the new 50-over format jersey on their official social media platform, X, sharing pictures of the players in their fresh look.

Among those seen posing in the new jersey were Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy.

England, led by Jos Buttler, has announced their playing XI for the first ODI, featuring the return of Joe Root to the ODI setup after a 15-month hiatus. Root's inclusion is expected to bolster the batting lineup as England aims to rebound from recent ODI series losses to Australia and the West Indies. The team is keen to address its shortcomings and build momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Both teams view this series as a vital opportunity to assess their squads and finalize strategies before the Champions Trophy. The performances in these matches will be instrumental in shaping their prospects in the forthcoming tournament.

Captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli have faced significant criticism following a series of underwhelming performances in Test cricket. Both players returned to domestic cricket in an attempt to regain form, with limited success. Their contributions in this ODI series will be pivotal as they aim to reaffirm their positions ahead of the Champions Trophy.

In the 2023 World Cup, Kohli and Rohit were India's leading run-scorers, amassing 765 and 597 runs respectively. However, since that tournament, their participation has been limited to a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, where Rohit managed two half-centuries, while Kohli struggled to make a significant impact.