Virat Kohli set to return in the India squad for the IND vs ENG ODI series
After the Afghanistan series, the Indian team will travel to Ireland and England for the white-ball series. During the England tour, the Indian team played a 5-T20I match series, followed by 3 ODIs. For the T20I series, the India squad has already been announced. Shreyas Iyer became the new full-time T20I skipper. As per reports, after the ODI series against Afghanistan, the BCCI also announced the ODI squad as well, where a couple of big names will return, including Virat Kohli, who is currently missing the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury, which he sustained in the IPL 2026 finals.
However, he is currently active on social media. A couple of days ago, he shared a heart-touching post for Kane Williamson, who announced his international retirement. He was also recently spotted spending time with England’s rising star Jordan Cox at a restaurant, with pictures of the duo together now doing the rounds on social media.
Apart from Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya could also return in the ODI squad. While a couple of reports indicate that Jasprit Bumrah will also feature in this series. Against Afghanistan, the Indian team is playing with a fresh & young bowling attack, where Arshdeep Singh is leading the bowling attack with Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar. While Harsh Dubey has also made his ODI debut.
For the England series, however, the selectors are expected to bring back experienced names such as Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, Harshit Rana's inclusion in the third ODI against Afghanistan suggests that he remains firmly in the mix for a spot in India's squad for the ODI series against England.
The Indian team management has already begun shaping its ODI plans with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from October 4 to November 21, 2027.
It will be quite interesting to see which players get an opportunity in the upcoming ODI series against England. One thing is almost certain: any player who fails to secure a spot in the ODI squad will find it extremely difficult to make it into the squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, as the team management is currently including only those players who feature in their plans for that tournament.
