Joe Root is back in England's ODI team for the first time since the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The 34-year-old Root will bat at No. 3 in the first match of the one-day international series against India in Nagpur on Thursday.

The three-match series that gets underway in Nagpur on Thursday will be the final ODIs for India as well as England ahead of the Champions Trophy, meaning both teams will be looking to finalise their ideal playing XI and fine-tune their strategies for the mega event over the course of the next one week.

Heading into the IND vs ENG ODI series, it’s uncertain who would be the first-choice keeper. Gambhir might even include both Rahul and Pant, who is a left-hander, and drop Iyer, which would be unfair and a step backwards for the ODI team as India had struggled for a long time with the No. 4 position.

England batsman Joe Root will make his first ODI appearance since 2023 after being named in the team to face India in the opening match of the series in Nagpur on Thursday. Root, England's leading test run scorer and second on the ODI list,