England’s Smith likely to miss first two ODIs v India

Jamie Smith, England’s wicketkeeper, is expected to miss this week’s first two one-day international matches, but he is expected to be fit for the Champions Trophy.

Smith, 24, has a calf issue which caused him to leave the field during the third T20 in Rajkot on 28 January.

With a series win of 4-1, he missed the following two games.

The three-match one-day international series begins in Nagpur on Thursday (08: 00 GMT), with the second match following on Sunday.

The final match – England’s last outing before their Champions Trophy opener against Australia on 22 February – is on Wednesday, 12 February.

With Smith’s absence limiting their options, England’s batting lineup will largely be the same as the one that struggled in the T20s. However, Joe Root has joined England for the ODI leg of the tour.

Phil Salt and Ben Duckett will start, with Root making his first 50-over international appearance since the 2023 World Cup by returning at number three.

Captain Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell are the middle-order options.

Spinner Rehan Ahmed, initially only selected for the T20 leg, has been added to England’s squad for the ODIs.

He did not play during the T20 series, with England preferring a four-strong pace attack, but Ahmed’s retention gives England the option of selecting him alongside fellow leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

India, meanwhile, have added spinner Varun Chakravarthy to their squad after he finished the T20 series as the leading wicket-taker.

The 33-year-old, who is uncapped in the 50-over format and has only played 23 List A games in his career, took 14 wickets at an average of 9.85.