England vs India 2026: 1st ODI Match Preview

England hosts India in the first of three One-Day Internationals on Tuesday, July 14, at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This follows the T20I series, where the Three Lions emerged victorious in a 4-0 sweep.

The hosts' last ODI assignment was in Sri Lanka in January of this year, where they recorded a come-from-behind 1-2 victory in conditions which heavily favoured spinners. Harry Brook's takeover as skipper has seen a change in the team's fortunes since 2025, but they sit in eighth place in the ICC rankings and risk losing automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup if they slip any further.

The Indian side come off a 3-0 clean sweep of Afghanistan at home in an ODI series in June in their last assignment in the format. With injuries to Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the former two of whom have returned to the squad for this series, the Men in Blue got a chance to test out their bench strength. They will be looking to put the poor result of the T20I series behind them in a format in which they are one of the most dominant teams.

The two teams last met in a three-match ODI series in February 2025, where India whitewashed the English team 3-0 at home ahead of the Champions Trophy.

The pitch at Edgbaston in Birmingham offers a true surface which provides an even contest between bat and ball. The bounce and carry off the surface are consistent, which allows batters to play their shots. The surface is on the drier side, though, which ensures spinners could come into play along with hit-the-deck bowlers. The short straight boundaries allow for free run-scoring, while bowlers tend to get lateral movement in the air and off the surface.

Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Gurnoor Brar