IND vs ENG : England Star To Miss First 2 ODIs, 20-Year-Old Spinner Told To Stay Back In India : Report

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Jamie Smith has been sidelined for the first two ODIs against India due to a calf injury, as reported by Telegraph Sport.

The 24-year-old, who recently made his T20I debut in the five-match series against India, featured in the second and third matches, scoring a total of 28 runs.

He replaced Jacob Bethell in those games but was left out of the final two fixtures of the series.

Smith had previously filled in as a wicketkeeper-batter during England's home series against Australia in September, stepping up in the absence of Jos Buttler, who was recovering from a similar calf issue.

Currently, England's ODI squad includes two wicketkeeper-batters-Phil Salt and Jos Buttler. However, Buttler has not taken up wicketkeeping duties since his return from injury, playing solely as a batter in the recently concluded T20I series. Meanwhile, Salt has limited experience behind the stumps in ODIs, having kept wickets in just three matches during England's tour of the West Indies.

In another squad update, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has been asked to remain with the team for the ODI series against India. Initially not part of England's ODI squad for both the India series and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Rehan was scheduled to return home after the T20I series.

His extended stay comes after The Three Lions faced challenges with their spin options during the T20Is. The team relied heavily on Adil Rashid as their frontline spinner, which left the bowling attack unbalanced. Limited opportunities were given to spin-bowling all-rounders like Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell, a strategy that did not yield the desired results.

England and India will kick off the three-match ODI series on Thursday, February 6, in Nagpur. Both teams are using this series as a crucial preparatory phase ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

England, in particular, will be eager to bounce back after a string of poor performances in the 50-over format. Since their disappointing 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, where they lost six matches and failed to reach the semi-finals, England has suffered three consecutive series defeats against the West Indies (twice) and Australia.

With key players like Smith sidelined and strategic adjustments underway, England faces an uphill battle to regain their footing in the ODI arena.