Birmingham, July 14 (IANS) Engpand won the toss and elected to bat against India in the first ODI at the Edgbaston Stadium.

England marked two significant milestones ahead of the opening ODI against India as wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler became only the second English cricketer to play 200 One-Day Internationals, joining former captain Eoin Morgan (225 ODIs). Meanwhile, fast bowler Josh Tongue made his ODI debut for England, while left-arm spinner Liam Dawson celebrated his 50th international appearance across formats.

England captain Harry Brook said his side opted to bat first after winning the toss, believing the surface would favour batting early before offering assistance to the spinners later in the match. Brook said England would approach the ODI series with the same mindset as the T20s by quickly assessing conditions, maintaining clear communication and adapting as the game progresses. He added that having a largely similar squad across the two white-ball formats gives him confidence as captain and reflects the faith the team management has in the group. While acknowledging England’s inconsistent ODI performances in recent years, Brook expressed hope that the team could “turn the page” and deliver consistent results, insisting they have the players to do so. He also confirmed England had gone in with a balanced bowling attack comprising two spinners and three seamers.

India captain Shubman Gill said he would have preferred to bowl first, noting that the conditions were more similar to those in South Africa than what India usually experiences at home. He added that the team wanted to use the series to give opportunities to players with limited ODI experience. Gill welcomed the return of several senior players, saying the presence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah added valuable experience to the squad. Reflecting on his previous success in England, Gill said he had fond memories of the Test series and hoped to carry that form into the ODI campaign. He also confirmed India’s team combination, with four seamers, including Shivam Dube, supported by spin duo Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Playing XIs:

India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna

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

–IANS

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