England in India: Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith likely to miss two India ODIs with calf injury
2025-02-04
Category: sports

England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is likely to miss the first two one-day internationals against India this week but 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.He missed the following two games as India won the series 4-1.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. The eight sides have to name their final Champions Trophy squads the same day.
Joe Root has joined England for the ODI leg of the tour but England's batting line-up will largely be the same as the one that struggled in the T20s, with Smith's absence limiting their options.Phil Salt and Ben Duckett are set to open, with Root returning at number three for his first 50-over international since the 2023 World Cup.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.