Former England captain Joe Root did not enjoy his return to ODI format on Thursday (Feb 6) after he was dismissed for 19 by Ravindra Jadeja in the opening contest of the three-match series. Playing at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, Root made his return to the 50-over format after November 2023 before Jadeja got the better of him for the fourth time. Root was out of favour in the ODI format in 2023 and is likely to announce his retirement after the Champions Trophy 2025.

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Root fails on ODI return

Having won the toss, England's decision to bat first proved to be right as Philip Salt (43 off 26) and Ben Duckett (32 off 29) stitched a partnership of 75 runs for the opening wicket. However, it was a runout that opened the doors for India’s comeback as Salt was dismissed on the fifth ball of the ninth over. The dismissal was followed by the wickets of Duckett and Harry Brook (0) as England went from 75/0 to 77/3.

Root and skipper Jos Buttler (52 off 67) then stitched a partnership of 34 runs before the former England skipper was dismissed by Jadeja. Batting on 19 Root was dismissed leg before by the veteran Indian all-rounder as he put a spanner in the work.

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England look to build momentum ahead of Champions Trophy

Having lost the T20I series against India 1-4, England will look to build momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025. The English side has enjoyed a good last few years in the limited-overs format, having won the T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ODI World Cup in 2019. The Champions Trophy remains the missing piece in the puzzle, with their best run coming in 2004 and 2013, when they were runners-up.

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England will start their Champions Trophy campaign against arch-rivals Australia on Feb 22 in Lahore.