It is a big series for India in their white-ball campaign as they take on England in the opening ODI at Birmingham on Tuesday. Preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup are in full swing with both teams looking to set the momentum and make an early statement in this crucial three-match series. India go into the series on the back of a disappointment of a one-sided 4-0 defeat in the preceding T20I series. That win also helped England dethrone India at the top of the ICC T20I rankings. However, India remain the world's top-ranked ODI side, while England find themselves in eighth place, giving India an early advantage.

India also see the return of experienced campaigners in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The duo has been the backbone of India's batting unit in the ODIs, having retired from Tests and T20Is. Now, for this series, they bring invaluable experiences, having enjoyed blistering success in English conditions over the years. Notably, India's record since the previous World Cup has been quite decent. They have claimed victory in four of their seven ODI series. However, their defeats against big teams like Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will prompt the side to remain one step ahead of England. The loss to New Zealand was particularly significant, as it was the first time the Black Caps secured an ODI series win on Indian soil. Still, India have confidence with a series win in their most recent assignment, comfortably sweeping Afghanistan in a home series.

Looking at England, they have struggled to replicate their shortest format consistency in ODIs. Since the 2023 World Cup, they have managed to win only two of their eight bilateral ODI series, with victories coming against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Their defeats also included a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against India. Now, England would look to outsmart India in home conditions to get some belief ahead of the World Cup. England have already announced their playing eleven for the first ODI, with Jacob Bethell set to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett.

Head-to-head

Matches - 110

IND won - 61

ENG won - 44

Tied - 2

No result - 3

England Playing XI: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, and Adil Rashid

India probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar/Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah