Former India player Abhishek Nayar has picked his Men in Blue playing XI for the first ODI against England. Gujarat Titans (GT) duo Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar failed to secure spots in his chosen side.
The first ODI of the three-match series between India and England will be played in Birmingham on Tuesday, July 14. While Krishna is among the five specialist seamers, Washington is one of the three frontline spinners in the visitors’ 15-member squad.
Speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues,’ Nayar opined that while Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer would form the top four, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube can be used interchangeably from Nos. 5 to 7.
“Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli – no questions asked. Shreyas Iyer at No. 4. The vice-captain has to be there. For me, KL Rahul and Axar Patel will be a switch based on the situation, in case you want a left-hander to come in or you want Shivam Dube to come in. That is slightly the versatility that I would want in my batting order,” he said.
The former India all-rounder reckoned that Dube and Kuldeep Yadav should play ahead of Washington and that Gurnoor Brar should be preferred over Krishna.
“For me, Shivam Dube, your lone seam-bowling all-rounder, you will require that in England. The ODI format will benefit him if he can hit his line and lengths. From there on, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah – no questions asked. Gurnoor is someone that I am excited about. Having that pace upwards of 140-145 with the bounce, that X-factor that you want to groom, and he can bat a bit as well,” Nayar observed.
Abhishek Nayar’s India playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2026 1st ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh
“Shubman Gill will be the happiest” – Abhishek Nayar on Jasprit Bumrah’s return for ENG vs IND 2026 ODIs
On the same show, Abhishek Nayar opined that Shubman Gill would be delighted about Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the ODI setup.
“Shubman Gill will be the happiest because he (Bumrah) wasn’t playing ODIs at all in the last two years. He was playing T20Is, and India got so many positive results because Jasprit Bumrah was playing. The ODI results were up and down because Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t playing. You will see the difference here as well once Bumrah comes in,” he said.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach highlighted that Bumrah can be a nightmare for any opposition.
“Having 10 overs of Bumrah is a nightmare from an opposition’s standpoint. Trust me, this is coming from someone who sits in an opposition dugout in the IPL. When you know you have to literally discount the four overs and start planning for the other 16, it makes other bowlers effective as well because you are trying to target them to score those runs,” Nayar observed.
Nayar added that the ace seamer’s return would also benefit Arshdeep Singh and that Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel would also be virtually as happy as Gill.
“A lot of Arshdeep’s effectiveness also comes from a Jasprit Bumrah being at the other end. Joe Root, batting for England, is going to be thinking, with the record Bumrah has against him, that Bumrah can get him out, and any spell can turn things in India’s favor. So, Bumrah being back, there will be a happy Gautam Gambhir, a happy Morne Morkel, and a very happy Shubman Gill,” Nayar noted.
Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 149 wickets at an economy rate of 4.59 in 88 ODI innings. However, he hasn’t played an ODI since India’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final.
Edited by Kartik Iyer
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