The Indian team will face England next in a white-ball series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs.
The Indian team will next face England in a white-ball series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, after the culmination of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.
However, it is now understood that India’s top three players – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will skip the England series, which will be the last bilateral series for India before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
A Sportstak report claims that Jasprit Bumrah will miss the T20I leg due to workload management, while the trio will also be unavailable for the 50-over assignment. Notably, Kohli and Rohit already retired from the shorter format after the 2024 T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The final decision on the squad will be taken by the selection committee after confirming the availability of Rohit and Virat.
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Playing in England’s ODI match could help Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hone their white-ball skills.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have to switch directly from Test cricket mode to white-ball cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 if they are not available for the England ODI series.
Both the lead batsmen are currently struggling to score runs and playing the ODI match against England could have helped the duo work on their batting in match conditions ahead of the mega event.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 and will follow a hybrid format. All matches involving India, as well as the first semi-final, will take place in Dubai. If India reaches the final, the championship match will also be held in the Middle East.
India’s campaign will begin against Bangladesh on February 20, followed by a much-awaited clash against Pakistan on February 23.
India have been placed in Group A alongside current trophy holders and hosts Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, while Group B includes Australia, Afghanistan, England and South Africa.
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