Eyes on Kohli, Rohit; Jasprit Bumrah question and...: Champions Trophy puzzle India need to solve in England ODI series

Whether India will play a practice game in Dubai is still uncertain, but the three-match ODI series against England, which begins on Thursday, will be their final preparations before the Champions Trophy. What makes it even more important is that India last played an ODI series in August, where they lost 0-2 against Sri Lanka, despite featuring a full-strength side. It was also Gautam Gambhir's first ODI assignment as the head coach. Hence, the team has questions to answer in the England ODI series before leaving for the UAE next week. India's Virat Kohli, Arshdeep Singh, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma during a training session ahead of the first ODI cricket match against England, at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, Maharashtra(PTI)

All eyes on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli

Much is at stake for India's two most senior batters, who have been struggling to find form, subsequently sparking retirement talks. Looking past their poor run in red-ball cricket, which included a forgettable return to Ranji Trophy last month, Rohit and Kohli last featured in ODI cricket in August, in the tour of Sri Lanka. The India captain scored 157 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 141.44 in that series, while the latter had a much worse campaign with just 58 runs in three matches. However, Kohli and Rohit were at their best in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with the former having emerged as the highest run-getter with 765 runs at 95.62.

Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav's fitness

In addition to the three spin-bowling all-rounders, India have named five other bowlers, of which two are making a return from their respective injuries.

Shami, who last played an ODI game in the World Cup final in November 2023, did feature in the T20I series against England last week, but he has yet to prove whether he can bowl for 10 overs. Not to forget, he did play three List A games for Bengal on his return to competitive action earlier last month, picking four wickets after he reportedly recovered from a separate knee injury, having picked up during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament.

Kuldeep Yadav, who was part of the Sri Lanka ODI series, has been out of action since October when he underwent sports hernia surgery. However, he did play in Uttar Pradesh's Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh, picking three wickets.

Can India cope without Jasprit Bumrah?

Selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar had earlier said in January that Bumrah, who suffered a back injury during the Sydney Test against Australia in the first week of the year, will miss the first two ODI matches of the England series. However, his name was missing from the updated squad list released by the BCCI on Tuesday after the addition of spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.

With uncertainty over Bumrah's return date and whether he will make the Champions Trophy team, all eyes will be on how India will fare without their best bowler. It implies the onus will be on Shami and Arshdeep Singh in the pace department. It will also be worth seeing if uncapped Harshit Rana, who is reportedly likely to replace Bumrah if he fails to make the ICC tournament, will get an opportunity in the series.

KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant

When it comes to the batting order, India need only one question answered regarding the combination. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, KL Rahul played wicketkeeper-batter amid an absent Pant, who was still recovering from his injuries in a car accident in December 2022. The former had scored 452 runs in 10 innings at 75.33 in a crucial middle-order role, laced with one century and two fifties.

While Rahul and Pant were picked in the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, the former featured in two games, scoring 31 and 0, and Pant played the final game, where he made six runs.

If Pant is left out, India's top 6 won't feature a left-hander. However, that never posed a problem for the team during their run to the 2023 World Cup final.

Ravindra Jadeja still the No. 1 spin all-rounder?

Jadeja's stocks as an all-rounder in ODI have taken a downward spiral. Since 2022, he scored 345 runs in 19 innings at a strike rate of 73.24, without a fifty, and picked up 32 wickets in 25 innings at 28.50. He was not picked for the tour of Sri Lanka, which featured Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. The former picked four wickets at an economy of 3.86, while the latter snared five wickets with an economy of 3.88.

Like Jadeja, both are left-handed batters, but while Axar bowls with his left hand as well, Sundar is a right-arm off-spinner.

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