India’s first home ODI after the World Cup allows them to hone their Champions Trophy preparation

India’s nine-match trip from the ODI World Cup to the Champions Trophy was always intended to last. That’s just the way the contemporary game works; it’s not that there aren’t enough. Only one-third of them are left.

India will play their first home ODI since the World Cup when they take the pitch in Nagpur, capping a 14-month break. They enjoy playing and marketing in this format at home, so it’s an unusually long break, but times are what they are. Additionally, the lack of build-up ammunition for the Champions Trophy, particularly at home where there is more room for improvement, gives the three-match series against England greater significance. Even in a busy cricket schedule, the match is fascinating enough to stand alone.

Given that they begin in Vidarbha rather than Motera, where they memorably lost the World Cup title to Australia in front of a record crowd, the schedule is a little more lenient for India. It won’t stop spectators from waiting in queue outside Nagpur’s stadium gates, though. When Rohit Sharma’s squad came home with the T20 World Cup in hand, only seven months after their defeat in the 50-over format, the excitement for India’s pursuit of an ODI trophy spilled into the Marine Drive. If anything, the November 19 setback has just heightened their desire for the trophy.

Expect India to give it their all in this ODI series, which serves as both a precursor to the ICC event and a postlude to yet another T20I series that has reaffirmed that the next generation is prepared and just around the horizon. The Champions Trophy is their opportunity to break their drought.

When: 1:30 PM IST on Thursday, February 6, 2025

Location: Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium

What to anticipate: There isn’t much you can infer from Nagpur’s average first-innings score of 288 because the city hasn’t hosted ODI cricket in six years. In the meantime, the big-hitting has changed quickly.

India has won two of their past three games there while chasing. It’s interesting to note that captains have chosen to bat first in three of the last five games played here, but tactfully, this dates back to the 2011 World Cup.

In Nagpur, daytime highs can reach 45 degrees Celsius, but this isn’t one of those months. With minimal temperatures of about 18 degrees, the dew is expected to start and have an impact. Expect temperatures of about 32 degrees when the teams line up for the anthems.