India vs England 1st ODI Match Prediction 2025: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Who will win Today’s Match?

India vs England Match Preview

Abhishek Sharma’s explosive batting and Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin helped India register four wins against the 2022 T20 World Cup winners. Both players do not feature in the hosts’ ODI squads. However, England’s troubles do not go away with Abhishek and Varun. The two biggest negatives for the visitors were their struggles while bowling and facing spin. India’s squad for the three ODIs consists of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. Three out of these four could play depending upon the pace combination. Moreover, the hosts too have faced issues while batting against spin bowling. What was once considered to be a strength of any Indian batter has turned out to be a weakness for most of the present-day batters.

Interestingly, the two teams are pretty distinct from each other. England have banked on the extreme pace of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, and Saqib Mahmood. India, on the other hand, has picked only three pacers with Hardik Pandya acting as the fourth. The nature of pitches could very well be the litmus test for the selection panel of the two teams. With the Champions Trophy approaching, India has picked a squad that could deepen their batting lineup thanks to spin-bowling all-rounders, Jadeja, Axar, and Sundar.

India vs England Recent Form

The recent form of both teams before the crucial India vs England match prediction is a point of concern. In their last five games, both teams have registered three losses. If these performances are anything to go by, then players from both India and England will have a point to prove in the three-match ODI series. 

India’s recent form

India has struggled in the last five ODI fixtures. In these five games, they have walked away with a solitary win against South Africa more than a year ago. The paucity of matches in the format has resulted in a loss of form for some key players in the format. In particular, Gill, Kohli, Iyer, and Rahul are averaging below 20 with the bat in hand in 2024. However, playing in home conditions, the batters would be expected to perform at their best. As a team, the addition of Arshdeep Singh in the format will add variety to the pace attack.

England’s recent form

England too has had a similar form to India. The visitors have lost three of their last five games. However, unlike India, England has been playing ODIs regularly. Their last game in the format came hardly three months ago. There aren’t many additions to their squad apart from Joe Root’s inclusion. The number one ranked test batter is expected to provide solidity to the lineup along with bolstering stats against spin bowling.

India vs England Head to Head Records in ODI

India holds a significant upper hand against England when it comes to head-to-head records. The hosts have won 58 games while England has emerged victorious on 44 occasions. Even in recent meetings, India has been clear favorites having won four of the last five matches between the two sides. When the two teams meet in Nagpur for the first ODI, India could have a slight upper hand given the home advantage and a slightly more balanced squad. 

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur Pitch Report

The India vs England match prediction will depend on the condition of the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. In nine matches in the past, the average first innings total has been 287. The stadium hosted four matches during the ODI World Cup in 2011. India lost their only match of the tournament against South Africa on this ground. England on the other hand comprehensively beat the Netherlands.

Like many other stadiums in India, the VCA Stadium offers assistance to teams that bowl in the first innings. Six out of the last nine games have been won by teams chasing the target. The pitch plays true to its reputation in the initial overs with regular bounce. This is the time when the batters are expected to cash in on any loose deliveries. Run-scoring especially hitting boundaries can get tough as the game progresses. 

India vs England Session Score Based on Scenario

The India vs England match prediction will be based on different scenarios that will be affected by the decision taken at the toss. It is expected that the team winning the toss will be bowling first. Chasing a target has proven to be relatively easier than batting first at the venue in the past few games. 

India win the toss

If India wins the toss they will be expected to bowl first at the VCA Stadium. 

• Powerplay (0-10): England score 70-80 runs

• Total score: 280-300

• India wins the match

England win the toss

If England wins the toss they will be expected to bowl first in the 1st ODI.

• Powerplay (0-10): India score 80-90 runs

• Total score: 300-320

• England wins the match

India vs England Predicted Playing11

The India vs England match prediction will depend on the playing 11 or as Jos Buttler would call it the playing 11 and four impact subs. With the Champions Trophy approaching both teams would want to paper over the last few cracks in their side. Apart from selecting the playing combination the three-match ODI series starting in Nagpur will provide the much-needed game time to some of these players.

India playing 11

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami

England playing 11

Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood

India vs England Key Performers

As is the case with any match there will be an expectation from some of the players to perform at a higher level than others. The result of the India vs England match prediction could very well be dependent on how these key players perform.

Best batter: Joe Root

Joe Root will be making a return to the England side after missing out on the five-match T20I series. Root’s absence was evident in the series as the English batters failed to bat against spin. The Indian tweakers picked up 29 wickets in the series and bowled 54 overs at an economy of only 7.6. The spin bowling particularly from Varun Chakravarthy proved to be the point of difference between the two sides. Meanwhile, Root who was not selected in the team was playing in the SA20 for Paarl Royals. In eight matches he scored 279 runs averaging close to 56 while striking at 140. With the ball in hand, he sent down 19 overs to pick up five wickets while being economical conceding only 7 runs per over.

Best bowler: Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav will be coming back to the Indian cricket team after coming back from an injury. While it is pretty tough making a comeback straightaway after an injury, however, Kuldeep will fancy his chances after watching the English struggle against spin. Since coming back to the Indian side in 2022, Kuldeep has been one of the best spin bowlers. He has taken 65 wickets in his last 40 bowling innings. In the same period, he has bowled more than 300 overs while maintaining an economy of only 4.57 runs per over. His match-up with England’s middle-order batter could very well define the result of the match.

India vs England Today Match Prediction

India vs England match prediction is that the team chasing the target is expected to have a greater chance of winning. However, that being said, the hosts are slight favorites to win the match. England’s batting against spin and spin-bowling stocks can prove to be a let-down for them in the upcoming match as well as the Champions Trophy. If the spin bowlers do get a little assistance then the Kuldeep Yadav-led attack along with Jadeja and Axar can pose a lot of questions to the visitors.

Match Prediction: Chasing Team to win the match.