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India v England first ODI: Prediction, Tips and Odds

India will look to extend their run of success over England when they play host to Jos Buttler's men in a three-match ODI series that gets underway at Nagpur on Thursday.

The Men in Blue have had the upper hand in all formats recently, beating England 4-1 in last year’s Test matches, before repeating that scoreline in the recently completed T20 series.

The last time the teams faced off in a 50-over battle, Rohit Sharma’s men bowled England out for 129 to secure a 100-run victory at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

India have won five of the last seven clashes over the longer white-ball format to take their overall advantage to 58-44 with two ties and three no results in ODI matches between the nations.

England will hope history counts for little as they begin a new era under coach Brendon McCullum.

Former Test captain Joe Root has been recalled to the line-up, with leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed also retained from the T20 squad.

However, Jamie Smith picked up a calf strain in that series so will miss the first two matches in Nagpur and Cuttack, with Phil Salt expected to open the innings and keep wicket.

India have added spinner Varun Chakravarthy to their squad after he took 14 wickets at an average of 9.85 in the T20I series.

Three of the big guns that missed the shorter-format series return with Rohit back as captain alongside batter Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

But pace ace Jasprit Bumrah will only be ready for the third game in the series and there is no place for opener Abhishek Sharma, India's centurion from the fifth T20 in Mumbai.

India v England

India v England betting tips and predictions

Series Correct Score - India 2-1 @ 6/5

The last two bilateral series between these teams have finished in favour of India and both were won 2-1 over three games.

The results were achieved in similar fashion, with India jumping out into the lead before England levelled the series, only for the Men in Blue to deliver under pressure in the deciding games.

Rohit’s men have been able to apply and handle pressure much better than England in the white-ball arena over the past few years.

And their familiarity with the pitches and conditions gives them another advantage over the tourists in the upcoming games.

The wicket for the opening match in Nagpur is a fresh one and appears to be pretty hard and grassy at the moment, although it could be shaved before the match takes place.

It could be the sort of wicket that England’s batters enjoy with spin only expected to come into play later on.

The tosses are likely to be important across the series and, if Buttler has a bit more luck with the spin of the coin, England should be able to stay competitive in the series.

However, India’s big guns will be desperate to entertain the packed stadiums and get their games in order ahead of the Champions Trophy with the hosts more likely to edge a 2-1 win overall.

England Top Team Batter - Joe Root @ 11/4

Buttler has confirmed Root will bat at three as he returns to ODI cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.

The Yorkshireman brings a wealth of experience to England’s line-up and arrives in decent nick too, having made three unbeaten fifties in the SA20 competition in South Africa.

In his 171 previous ODI appearances, Root has scored 6,522 runs at an average of 47.60.

His average is significantly better than all the other England batters apart from Ben Duckett, who has yet to play an ODI in India. 

Harry Brook, who delivered only one innings of note in the T20s, has been criticised for going on the attack too soon and may learn a lot from having Root alongside him here.

Likewise, Salt may need to rein it in a little after he posted some disappointing scores at Kolkata, Chennai, Rajkot and Pune.

Although Root is averaging just under 29 in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final, having averaged 60 in the four years leading up to that tournament, his class remains evident from his recent Test scores and his unflappable approach looks best suited to making runs in these matches.

India Top Team Batter - Shubman Gill @ 3/1

Shubman Gill has been a revelation for India in ODIs over the past year. The young right-hander averages over 60 in this format since 2023 and has consistently provided strong starts alongside Rohit Sharma.

Playing on familiar pitches at home, Gill is well-positioned to make an impact in Nagpur.

Read more cricket betting tips and predictions on site.

India v England first ODI odds

India - 4/9
England -
7/4

View the full market and more odds for India v England first ODI on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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