ENG v IND First ODI: India opts to field against England

Former skipper Virat Kohli has pulled out of the match after sustaining a groin strain, and Shreyas Iyer has been picked in his place.
Team India won the toss and have elected to bowl against England in the first ENG v IND ODI. (Photo | BCCI Twitter)
Team India won the toss and have elected to bowl against England in the first ENG v IND ODI. (Photo | BCCI Twitter)

LONDON: India captain Rohit Sharma opted to field after winning the toss in the first ODI against England here on Tuesday.

Former skipper Virat Kohli has pulled out of the match after sustaining a groin strain, and Shreyas Iyer has been picked in his place.

Speaking at the toss, Rohit said, "We are going to bowl first. There is some grass cover and it's overcast as well. I guess the sun will be out in some time. We want to have a score in front of us. Shami, Bumrah - those guys can swing the ball. It's important to take wickets up front and put brakes on the scoring. We understand the importance of playing overseas, we want to do well outside India. Today is no different. We have five batters and two all-rounders. Kohli is not playing this game, Shreyas will bat at 3."

Meanwhile, England skipper Jos Buttler said, "We would have done the same thing, we would have bowled first. I am learning a lot about myself, and about my role. Looking forward to the ODI series, it has been a learning experience. It's great to welcome those guys back. They are few of the best players in the world. There are a lot of selfless guys in the team, that will be exactly the same today."

Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Craig Overton, David Willey, Brydon Carse and Reece Topley.

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