IND vs ENG: Far from an abysmal T20I performance, India begin preparations for the ODI series today

TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: More than 200 kilometers away from Southampton, where the Indian T20I team will look to avoid a shocking fade in the fifth and final match against England, preparations will begin for the ODI side. Seven members of the Indian ODI squad are likely to hit the nets at Edgbaston before the series begins on July 14.Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were all in London ahead of the three-match series. As reported by TimesofIndia.com, Rohit had several sessions at local clubs in and around London using the support of young bowlers.It is an important task for 39-year-old Rohit and 37-year-old Virat. Rohit was affected by a hamstring injury during the IPL but returned in time for the series against Afghanistan where he scored 16, 48 and 79 runs.Kohli, meanwhile, will feature for the first time since the IPL 2026 final, where he picked up a hamstring problem. It forced him to miss the three ODIs against Afghanistan, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking his place. Now that Kohli is fit and available, Jaiswal is not in the reckoning despite his bang against the Afghans.Kohli also hit the ground running after he was given the all clear at the CoE in late June. He completed a semi-regular session at Lord’s, the venue for the third ODI.Skipper Gill was also in the UK last week doing some training at local grounds. He also took part in the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone and graced the Wimbledon Royal Box in the semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Gurnoor Brar and KL Rahul arrived in Birmingham on Friday. The quartet are also expected to play a part in one of the three practice sessions for India before the series gets underway.The ODI series begins on July 14 in Birmingham before moving to Cardiff (July 16) and London (July 19).