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England National Cricket Team opener Ben Duckett has revealed how the hosts intend to tackle Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the upcoming three-match ODI series, saying England are prepared to continue using the short-ball tactic if it proves effective.
Speaking to the media ahead of the opening ODI at Edgbaston, Ben Duckett said England would assess conditions and the batters' response before deciding whether to persist with the strategy. The comments come after England dominated India's young batting unit during the recently concluded T20I series by repeatedly attacking them with short-pitched bowling.
Jasprit Bumrah to join forces with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli vs England
India will receive a significant lift with the return of several senior stars for the ODI series. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in the squad for ODIs, while Jasprit Bumrah is set to make his first ODI appearance since the 2023 World Cup final. KL Rahul also returns alongside captain Shubman Gill as India begin building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.
After the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side struggled during the T20I leg of the tour, the visitors will expect their senior players to bring greater stability and experience against a confident England outfit. The opening ODI also marks the first time Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah will feature together in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final.
The match is scheduled to be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 14, with the first ball set for 11:00 AM local time (3:30 PM IST). Weather forecasts indicate clear skies, reducing the likelihood of interruptions.
Edgbaston has produced contrasting limited-overs contests in recent times. England piled up 400 before bowling West Indies out for 162 at the venue in May 2025, while a Women's T20 World Cup fixture between South Africa and Pakistan last month turned into a low-scoring contest.
Despite their recent T20I success, England's ODI form has been far from convincing. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, only Zimbabwe have recorded a lower win percentage among ICC Full Member nations in the 50-over format.
Ben Duckett explains short-ball plan for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
England enjoyed considerable success with aggressive short-pitched bowling against India's young batters in the T20I series. Asked whether the same approach could work against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Ben Duckett said England would not hesitate to test the experienced duo if the tactic proved effective.
The left-handed opener stressed that England would remain flexible rather than completely changing their plans simply because the opposition featured world-class players. Ben Duckett also backed captain Harry Brook to guide the bowling group during the series.
"We will test them out. If they're pretty good at it (playing the short ball), we probably won't use the strategy as much. But I'll be honest, I'm not sure, we might as well continue with it if we find it's working," Duckett said in response to a question from The Times of India.
"Certainly, our plans as a bowling group will have the leadership of Brookie (Harry Brook) as a rallying point."
Ben Duckett also made it clear that England have enormous respect for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli but insisted his side would not alter its overall philosophy because of two individuals.
"Both (Virat and Rohit) are incredible players, but I don't think we need to change our team dynamics significantly. We've got to stick to what we do and try to do it better than them. Ultimately, we're not going to be fearing anyone when we go out there."
"There're not many weaknesses in Jasprit Bumrah" - Ben Duckett
Ben Duckett also spoke highly of Jasprit Bumrah, admitting that India's pace spearhead remains one of the toughest bowlers to face across formats. He pointed out that weather conditions could play a major role, hoping clear skies would reduce the amount of swing available to Bumrah.
"There're not many weaknesses (in Bumrah). It depends on if the ball is swinging or if the ball isn't swinging as much. He obviously can swing the ball both ways close to 90 mile an hour, so hopefully it's blue skies, no clouds and it doesn't swing quite as much. That would be very helpful," Duckett said.
The England opener expects India to use Bumrah in attacking spells throughout the innings rather than simply saving him for specific phases. Having previously faced the fast bowler only in Test cricket, Duckett admitted batting against him in ODIs presents a different challenge because batters cannot afford to simply survive.
"He's just the type of bowler that I imagine India will use throughout the innings to try and take wickets at all times and we will have to try and combat that. I've only faced him in Test cricket where you don't ultimately have to look to score very fast. There's no pressure to score whereas in 50-over cricket, you can't look to survive him. You've still got to find ways to score off him. But I think our players have faced him enough and every individual will have different plans for him," Ben Duckett added.
