Jacob Bethell is slated to make his debut as an opening batsman for England in One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the upcoming three-match series against India, beginning July 14 in Birmingham. This marks a significant shift for the 22-year-old, who has previously batted no higher than fourth in his 21 ODI appearances. Bethell will become Ben Duckett's fourth opening partner in recent series, following the stints of Jamie Smith, Zak Crawley, and Rehan Ahmed.
Other potential opening options for England include Will Jacks and Tom Banton. Bethell, who has experience opening in junior cricket and bats at number three in the Test team, is guaranteed a place in the ODI XI as vice-captain to Harry Brook. Joining Bethell in the 16-player squad are uncapped Sussex all-rounder James Coles and fast bowler Josh Tongue, who has previously played 12 Test matches.
The England squad for the ODI series against India is: Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, James Coles, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Josh Tongue.
The series fixtures are: 1st ODI on Tuesday, July 14, at Edgbaston, Birmingham (11 am); 2nd ODI on Thursday, July 16, at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (1 pm); and the 3rd ODI on Sunday, July 19, at Lord's, London (11 am).
England has struggled in recent ODIs against India, losing eight of their last 10 encounters. A series defeat at home, combined with Bangladesh's victory over Zimbabwe, could see England drop to as low as ninth in the ODI rankings.
In other team news, all-rounder Sam Curran has expressed his desire to return to Test cricket following the international retirement of fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes. Curran acknowledged the significant void left by Stokes' departure and stated his ambition to represent England in all three formats. He recalled his strong debut in Test cricket eight years ago, where he earned a man-of-the-series award against India with notable batting and bowling averages.
Having been overlooked for Test selection for the past five years, Curran remains eager for an opportunity, saying, "It's one of those things where I just want to try to perform my best and whenever the time comes they decide whoever is going to replace Stokesy – playing for England is amazing and I'm a competitive guy."
England also made changes for the second Twenty20 international against India, dropping Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood despite Mahmood taking three wickets in the abandoned first match. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue have been included in the squad for this T20 match, having not been considered for the recent T20 against India due to their proximity to a Test match defeat against New Zealand.