Team India vs England ODI Playing 11 2026: Virat Kohli Returns

Arshdeep Singh, Cricket, England Cricket Team, Harshit Rana, India Cricket Team, India Tour of England, India vs England, Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, ODI Cricket, Rohit Sharma, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli July 7, 20262 hours

As Virat Kohli returns, explore the Team India vs England both teams strongest possible playing 11 for the 2026 ODI series.

Key Takeaways

Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah return to India’s ODI setup as the Men in Blue begin serious preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup against England.
Shivam Dube is expected to replace the injured Hardik Pandya in the XI, while Yashasvi Jaiswal will once again miss out despite scoring a century in the Afghanistan ODI series.
India are likely to field their strongest available Playing XI, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah forming the core.
England will rely on stars like Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid, making the three-match ODI series a high-quality contest ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Team India vs England ODI Series Best Playing 11 Explained

ODIs are a format that is rare to be seen these days. After a gap of more than a year, it was only recently, post the IPL 2026, that the Indian team played ODIs. The 3-match ODI series vs Afghanistan was the start of the preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which thankfully India started well with a 2-0 win. With a handful of ODIs left before the World Cup in South Africa, the England ODIs provide a brilliant preparation opportunity for the Indian team.

The conditions in England are more or less expected to be similar to South Africa, although South African pitches could be tougher for batters. It is also great to see that the Indian team isn’t taking the series lightly, with stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah returning, although the loss of Hardik Pandya, who is yet to recover from the injury. So, it promises to be a thrilling series for Team India against a strong England team.

Meanwhile, given the Afghanistan series didn’t have a few first-choice players, it will be interesting to see what playing 11 the Indian team selects. The biggest exclusion is that of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has once again been ignored after a century in just the last ODI. Also, the team made a last-minute change with Shivam Dube being added to the squad as the replacement for injured Nitish Reddy. So, what’s the strongest playing 11 for India vs England 2026 ODI series? let’s find out i this article.

India vs England 2026 Official ODI Series Squad List for Indian Team

Batters

Rohit Sharma
Shreyas Iyer (vc)
Shubman Gill (c)
Virat Kohli

Wicket-keepers

Ishan Kishan
KL Rahul

All-rounders

Axar Patel
Suryansh Shedge
Washington Sundar

Bowlers

Arshdeep Singh
Harshit Rana
Gurnoor Brar
Jasprit Bumrah
Kuldeep Yadav
Prasidh Krishna

If we compare the playing 11 that is expected to play against England vs the one that played against Afghanistan, we can expect a few changes. While Yashasvi Jaiswal goes out, Virat Kohli comes in his place, and will take the number 3 position. Ishan Kishan hit a fantastic century in the last ODI, but might sit out in this series, with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul taking up the number 4 and 5 spots respectively.

With a settled top 5, the shoes of Hardik Pandya will be big to fill. While Nitish Reddy would have proudly taken that position, but since he is also ruled out due to injury, expect Shivam Dube to straight away find a place in the XI, and the finisher and sixth bowling option. Axar Patel should continue to play at 7, and Harshit Rana should take up the number 8 position as the bowling all-rounder. With Harshit at 8, India get a solid fifth bowler, and hard hitting batter down the order.

Coming to the bowling lineup, India should play full-strength here. Jasprit Bumrah should lead the pace attack after a long time, and Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana should be his companions. The spin department should be lead by Kuldeep Yadav, with Axar Patel supporting him. Meanwhile, for the sixth bowling option, Shivam Dube could be used for a few overs. Overall, Hardik is the only miss in the bowling department, otherwise India are playing a full-strength bowling attack.

India vs England ODI Playing 11 2026: Virat Kohli Returns

Rohit Sharma
Shubman Gill (c)
Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
KL Rahul (wk)
Shivam Dube
Axar Patel
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep Singh
Kuldeep Yadav
Jasprit Bumrah

India vs England 2026 Official ODI Series Squad List for Eng Team

Batters

Harry Brook (C)
Joe Root

Wks

Jos Buttler
Tom Banton
Ben Duckett

All-rounders

Jacob Bethell
James Coles
Sam Curran
Liam Dawson
Will Jacks
Rehan Ahmed

Bowlers

Jofra Archer
Gus Atkinson
Saqib Mahmood
Adil Rashid
Josh Tongue

If we talk about the playing 11 for England, we are looking at Ben Duckett and Joe Root as openers. Harry Brook should play at 3, Jacob Bethell at 4, Tom Banton at 5, Jos Buttler at 6, and Will Jacks at 7. With Sam Curran and Jofra Archer at 7 and 8, England have solid batting depth. Meanwhile, the bowling should see Jofra Archer as the leader of the bowling attack, with Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Sam Curran, and Will Jacks as the other bowlers. Overall, England have a strong squad, and they are likely to challenge the Indian team.

India vs England ODI Playing 11 2026 for Eng Team

Ben Duckett
Joe Root
Harry Brook (C)
Jacob Bethell
Jos Buttler (wk)
Will Jacks
Sam Curran
Jofra Archer
Liam Dawson
Adil Rashid
Josh Tongue

So, that’s about both teams’ strongest playing 11 for India vs England 2026 ODI series. Overall, with very few ODIs planned, this will be an excellent opportunity for both teams to take one step closer to their World Cup preparation. The ODI series begins on July 14. Matches will be played at Birmingham, Cardiff, and Lord’s. While the Birmingham and Lord’s ODIs shall be played at 3:30 pm, the Cardiff ODI shall be played at 5:30 pm.