England are set to host India for a three-match ODI series, with the action shifting from the T20Is. The first one-day will be played in Birmingham on Tuesday, July 14. India will be bolstered by the presence of senior players as they aim to bounce back after the loss in the T20I series.
When the Men in Blue toured England in 2018, they lost the three-match ODI series 2-1. They won the first game by eight wickets but were defeated by 86 runs and eight wickets in the second and third games, respectively.
Several players who were part of the 2018 tour will return for the 2026 series as well. That said, here are five Indian players part of the squad in the upcoming series who toured in 2018 as well.
#5 Axar Patel
All-rounder Axar Patel was part of the ODI series in 2018. However, he did not feature in a single game out of the three matches that were played. He has played five ODIs against England (all in India), scoring 107 runs and picking up four wickets.
Axar did not have a good performance in the recently concluded T20I series. He scored just 19 runs from five matches and claimed only two wickets. The all-rounder will be keen to put up a better showing in the ODI series and will be expected to contribute with both bat and ball as the visitors aim to bounce back.
#4 Kuldeep Yadav
Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav had a memorable series on the 2018 tour. He was India’s leading wicket-taker with nine scalps from three games at an average of 16.44 and an economy rate of 4.93 with best figures of 6/25.
In nine ODIs against England, Kuldeep has bagged 14 wickets at an average of 34.78 and an economy rate of 5.75. The wrist-spinner has done fairly well in England too, picking up 15 wickets from ten matches at an average of 32.33 and an economy rate of 5.00. He will have a key role to play against the English batters.
#3 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer returned to India’s ODI squad as the vice-captain. With a packed batting line-up featuring Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni, Iyer did not get a chance to play a single ODI on the 2018 tour despite being part of the squad.
He has played just one ODI in England in 2022, but did not bat in that game. Overall, Shreyas Iyer has played six one-dayers against England and has scored 191 runs. He showed good form in the T20I series and will be expected to carry the same into the ODIs.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma was India’s second-highest run-getter in the 2018 series in England. He made 154 runs from three games at an average of 77 with a century. The veteran batter has toured England multiple times. (including ICC tournaments).
In 27 games, he has piled on 1428 runs at an average of 64.90 with seven hundreds and as many half-centuries. Given his experience playing in these conditions, he will certainly be among the key players for the Men in Blue this time around.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli scored the most runs for India during the 2018 ODI series. He made 191 runs from three games at an average of 63.66 with two half-centuries. Like Rohit Sharma, Kohli has also been to England several times, including ICC tournaments.
In England, Kohli has played 33 ODIs, scoring 1349 runs at an average of 51.88 with a hundred and 12 half-centuries. Overall, he has scored 1397 runs from 38 matches at an average of 41.08 with three hundreds and ten half-centuries. The star batter will also have a vital role to play in the 2026 series.
Edited by Rishab Vm
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