The India v England 1st ODI will be played in Nagpur on February 6.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar revealed his India XI for the first ODI of the three-match series against England. The match will be played at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on February 6.
Manjrekar made some risky decisions and omissions when he presented his preferred XI for the first game of the three-match ODI series.
The former India cricketer even refused to adjust his opening lineup, instead opting for skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, leaving the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal on the bench.
In a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar chose the dependable No. 3, Virat Kohli, for the one-down position, with Shreyas Iyer, put in at No. 4. There was a tough decision to make between Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the wicketkeeper position at No. 5. He chose to 'experiment' with Pant while keeping the upcoming Champions Trophy campaign in mind.
Hardik Pandya was slotted at sixth, while Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar were the team's two spin-bowling all-rounders. India coach Gautam Gambhir's liking for Sundar is no longer a secret, and Manjrekar believes the Tamil Nadu native will be preferred over Axar Patel for the second spin all-rounder position.
This meant Kuldeep Yadav was picked as the lone specialist spinner in the XI as Manjrekar chose to not select Varun Chakaravarthy, who was added to the ODI squad at the last minute.
Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami were the two seamers selected for the opening ODI in Nagpur. Harshit Rana is another speedster on the team, although his prospects of appearing in the series opener are minimal.
Sanjay Manjrekar's India XI for the first ODI against England:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh