🏏India tour of England, 2026: England vs India, 2nd ODI, Cardiff,🏏

🏏India tour of England, 2026: England vs India, 2nd ODI @Cardiff,🏏

A fair bit has changed in England's lineup since they last beat India in an ODI, almost to this day four years ago. Out of the four J's - Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jos Buttler, only two remain, with Jacob Bethell being a suitable alphabetical replacement, and a top-order experiment. In those four years, Bazball has risen and fallen.

Back then, it was Buttler freshly taking on the ODI reins. Harry Brook has now potentially begun his all-format tenure. Yet, despite a 4-0 T20I win, the scrutiny on McCullum doesn't go, just like it doesn't with his Indian coaching counterpart.

India bagged their first win of the tour, largely thanks to an England top-order collapse that left them at 80/5. Joe Root and Liam Dawson admirably effected a recovery, but the larger issue remains in how frequent these collapses have become for England.

For the second ODI, England will have their priority clear: try not to lose the way while batting and give ample bowling cushion to Jofra Archer. On two sides of the Root-Dawson rearguard, they lost 5-19 and 4-30.

They did enough to stave off Jasprit Bumrah, but it meant trying to go extra hard on the other bowlers and facing the consequences.

For the second ODI, England will have their priority clear: try not to lose the way while batting and give ample bowling cushion to Jofra Archer. On two sides of the Root-Dawson rearguard, they lost 5-19 and 4-30. They did enough to stave off Jasprit Bumrah, but it meant trying to go extra hard on the other bowlers and facing the consequences.

For India, Shubman Gill's form was a big uptick as was Axar Patel's all-round return to the ODI setup. The eyes will invariably be on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who scored a combined 17 runs in the first game. But this looks like a much more balanced unit that hurtled to loss after loss in the T20Is.

What: England vs India, 2nd ODI

When:July 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM IST (11 AM local time)

Where:Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

What to expect?

Warm and breezy, with a high of 28 degrees, and no real prediction of rain. Across the last four ODIs at the venue (2023-2025), 280 was crossed in six out of eight innings.

Team news

England: Their T20I and ODI outfits carry a largely similar look, but with the 50-over World Cup closing in, the finer adjustments need to now come into effect. They went with three seamers and two spinners, which is likely a combination they don't tinker with given Dawson's batting contribution in the first game. The search might not have ended, but Bethell should continue as Ben Duckett's opening partner.

Predicted XI:Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Adil Rashid

India news

On the fitness front, India had a brief worry when Shubman Gill limped out on 80, forced to retire hurt, but later confirmed he should be fit for the second ODI. Before that, Gurnoor Brar had to abort his run-up before the 48th over, with Axar filling in for him. There's been no update on Brar, but if they need an easy replacement, they have one of Prince Yadav or Arshdeep Singh to choose from.

Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar/Prince Yadav/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

Did you know:

- India last played an ODI in Cardiff in 2014, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli the only two from that XI in the current India squad

- Joe Root averages 70.69 since the start of January 2025, with four hundreds and seven fifties in 19 innings

- Since the 2023 World Cup, only New Zealand bowlers have a better strike-rate than India (28.6 vs 29.9)

What they said:

"When you see your middle order, lower middle order score runs like that and finish off the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top order batsman" - Shubman Gill, on India's perfect start to the ODI series.

"We try and make selections based on the pitch. Obviously, if we'd have got a few more runs there, then our spinners might have been able to tie them down through the middle a little bit better. But, look, it comes back to that 5 for 20, which wasn't ideal. And another day we get 320-330, and our spinners play a massive part," - Harry Brook, on the team combination, and potential changes later in the series.

After their 1st victory in England on this UK Tour, India will look to build the momentum as they gear up for the 2nd ODI which is set to be played in Sophia Gardens Cricket ground in Cardiff on Thursday.

On a testing Edgbaston surface, Skipper Shubman Gill led from the front in a much needed 6 wicket win for team India. Impressive bowling performances from pacers Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, who picked up 2 wickets each, the all round efforts from Axar Patel (4/62 and 57 not out), and Captain Gill’s knock of 80 (retired hurt), secured the win over Harry Brook’s England.

This is a golden opportunity for India to seal the ODI series, while England will be desperate to level the series and keep their hopes alive. For India, senior stars Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are back in the blue, and fans will expect them to deliver. England have retained almost the same squad from the T20I series, with a few changes, including Ben Duckett returning to the playing XI.

There's still uncertainty about Shubman Gill's fitness after he was retired hurt in the previous match. If he doesn't play, then Shreyas Iyer will lead the team.

This series is an important step in both teams' preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup as they continue to build their strongest combinations. Let's look at the probable playing XIs, key players, Dream11 fantasy picks and match prediction for the second ODI.

Key Players to Watch from India

Virat Kohli remains one of India's biggest match-winners in ODI cricket. Although he did not make a big impact in the first ODI, he has been in good form, scoring 547 runs in his last seven ODI innings. India will hope he returns to his best in Cardiff.

Prasidh Krishna is another player to watch. The right-arm pacer has picked up 17 wickets in his last eight ODIs and has formed a strong pace attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

Key Players to Watch from England

Joe Root remains England's most dependable batter. He scored an unbeaten 76 in the first ODI and has accumulated 527 runs in his last eight ODI innings, making him one of England's biggest threats.

Adil Rashid could also play a crucial role. Cardiff has traditionally offered assistance to spinners, and Rashid has enjoyed success at this venue, taking 18 wickets in his previous appearances here.

Top Batters

Joe Root: A must-have pick. He is in excellent form after scoring an unbeaten 76 in the first ODI and averages 65.88 in his recent ODI matches.

Harry Brook: Brook has scored 408 runs in his last 10 ODI matches at an average of 45.33 and remains one of England's most reliable batters.

Virat Kohli: One of the greatest ODI batters, Kohli thrives in run chases and has scored more than 500 runs in his recent ODI outings. He could play a match-winning innings.

Shubman Gill: If declared fit, Gill should be one of the first picks after scoring 80 runs before retiring hurt in the first ODI.