Wisden writers pick their England XIs for the first India ODI

Jofra Archer misses out due to an elbow problem while Joe Root and Chris Woakes have been rested. Opportunities, therefore, await a number of players who have been in and around the white-ball set-up in recent months but have struggled for game time.

The Wisden.com trio of Ben Gardner, Yas Rana and Taha Hashim have shared their views on who England should line-up with for the first ODI of the series.

Taha Hashim, Wisden.com features editor

With Joe Root away, No.3 needs sorting. That Dawid Malan has played just one ODI feels odd when that’s the format he looks most suited to, but he’s only in as cover so Ben Stokes is probably England’s best bet. He wasn’t half-bad in his last ODI either. A promotion for Stokes would also let Sam Billings continue his run in the middle order, where he was really starting to look the part last summer.

Moeen Ali’s spent far too much time on the bench recently, so he comes back in at No.7, while Reece Topley is given a go with the new ball. Sam Curran was a bit of a passenger in the T20I series but always carries the ability to deliver something a little special out of nowhere.

Ben Gardner, Wisden.com managing editor

The slot vacated by Joe Root is the toughest to fill, and in a way, it’s odd that England haven’t included one of their preferred back-ups in this squad, even with the ODI series feeling tacked-on and of little import. It especially seems like a wasted opportunity not to give Dawid Malan more of a chance to get to grips with Indian surfaces, seven months out from a T20 World Cup.

Still, their selected squad means England will have to get funky, and I’m all for it. Any of Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler or Ben Stokes would make for an intriguing stop-gap first-drop, but I think it’s the last of those that stands the best chance of making match-defining scores in the position.

Onto the bowlers, I haven’t picked either of the Currans, which might violate some sort of law; England have only played two white-ball games without either in the side since the World Cup final. I want to see whether Moeen’s bowling has improved after a winter in the nets. I’m compelled to know if Matt Parkinson’s ultra-slow leggies can have an effect against the very best batsmen. I must find out if Reece Topley’s left-arm really does offer a ‘point of difference’. Most all, I feel I – and England – need to learn things from this series, and this team gives them a chance to discover plenty.

Yas Rana, Wisden.com head of content

The top six pretty much picks itself. Of the World Cup-winning top six, only Joe Root is absent and Sam Billings deserves to keep his spot after an excellent ODI summer in 2020. After sitting on the bench for the entirety of the T20I series, Moeen Ali comes into the side to offer Eoin Morgan a second spin option and some firepower at No. 7.

Mark Wood and Adil Rashid are shoo-ins and I’ve gone for Sam Curran and Reece Topley over Tom Curran; the oldest Curran brother has taken just one wicket in his last eight ODIs. England learnt nothing about their bench strength during the T20I series, so it’d at least be worth ascertaining where Topley and the younger Curran are in ODI cricket over the next few days.