Joe Root made his highly anticipated return to England’s ODI squad for next month’s white-ball tour of India, marking his first appearance since the ICC Men’s World Cup in November 2023.
The Yorkshire batman's inclusion has been one of the standout features as the England Men’s selection panel announced the squads for the upcoming tour, which includes three ODIs, five IT20s, and participation in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, to be hosted by Pakistan.
However, one notable absence is Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes, who continues to recover from a left hamstring injury sustained during the third Test against New Zealand earlier this month. As Stokes is still being assessed, he was not considered for selection, leaving a gap in the squad for the white-ball series.
Head Coach Brendon McCullum will lead the team for the first time in a full tour and tournament, with both the ODI and IT20 squads consisting of 15 players each. Leicestershire leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed joins the IT20 squad, while Root’s selection is exclusive to the ODI team.
The England Men’s team is set to depart for India on 17 January 2025, ahead of the series that kicks off with the IT20s before transitioning into the ODI fixtures, followed by the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.(UNI)
England Men’s ODI Squad:
India Tour & ICC Men’s Champions Trophy: Jos Buttler (Lancashire) (Captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham).
England Men’s IT20 Squad – India Tour:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) (Captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham).
England Men’s White-Ball Tour of India Schedule:
IT20s: 1st IT20: India v England, Wednesday 22 January, Eden Gardens, Kolkata; 2nd IT20: India v England, Saturday 25 January, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai; 3rd IT20: India v England, Tuesday 28 January, Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot; 4th IT20: India v England, Friday 31 January, MCA Stadium, Pune; 5th IT20: India v England, Sunday 2 February, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
ODIs: 1st ODI: India v England, Thursday 6 February, VCA Stadium, Nagpur; 2nd ODI: India v England, Sunday 9 February, Barabati Stadium, Cuttack; 3rd ODI: India v England, Wednesday 12 February, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025: The Champions Trophy will be played in Pakistan in February and March, with England among the teams vying for the prestigious title.
