Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has picked his preferred Indian playing XI for the first ODI against England. He picked Ishan Kishan to play as a specialist batter at No. 6. The first ODI of the three-match series between India and England will take place in Birmingham on Tuesday, July 14. Kishan is one of the two wicketkeeper-batters in India’s 15-member squad, with KL Rahul being the other one as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill, and then Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul would come. I want Ishan Kishan to be played. Since you don’t have options like Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy, go with six proper batters. Keep Axar Patel at No. 7, and your batting will end at No. 7. Since you have played six proper batters, it’s not an issue if your batting ends at No. 7.”

“Play Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, and Kuldeep Yadav. I want to play Kuldeep Yadav. I want to go with five proper bowlers. Yes, it will be a slight test of courage. If you go for security, cushion, and insurance, a batter will be required at No. 8. Then there won’t be a place for Kuldeep Yadav, but if you show a little courage, you can say that you will play a batter short, but since you are playing all proper batters, they need to take responsibility,” Chopra shared again.

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However, Aakash Chopra also added that India would play Shivam Dube instead of Ishan Kishan to have a bowling option in the top six, with Washington Sundar at No. 8 as well.

“The XI that would play will have Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli at No. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5, and Shivam Dube at No. 6 because you want a bowling option in the top six. That’s what the Indian team has always done. Axar Patel at No. 7, another batting and bowling option, and Washington Sundar at No. 8, or the other way round,” he said.

“This is the kind of balance the Indian team finds better. In the three fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and there could be a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar for the third. I will go with Gurnoor Brar because he has impressed me a lot,” he concluded.

Aakash Chopra’s probable India XI for ENG vs IND 2026 1st ODI:

Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar