Eyes will be on the pitch as India get set to take on England in the opening ODI at Jamtha, Nagpur on Thursday. For the unversed, the Jamtha strip has come under the radar more than once.

Be it in 2015, when the pitch was rated as 'poor', or be it in 2023 against Australia. But this time, Nagpur is going to present a fresh strip for the ODI opener. The pitch curator reckons it is a 300+ pitch and will help the spinners in the later half of the game. The curator also confirmed that the grass that is there could be trimmed on the day of the game.

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Meanwhile, India vice-captain Shubman Gill said that no one can predict how the wicket will behave. He also revealed that he had no information about the pitch that would be used for the game.

Gill on Rohit

The spotlight is firmly on senior players Rohit and Kohli, who have struggled with the bat in recent times.

However, Gill was quick to highlight the skipper's sensational form in white-ball cricket, which played a pivotal role in India reaching the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Even in the Sri Lanka series, Rohit scored two half centuries.

"The way Rohit bhai has been batting in the ODIs in the past one year and a half, it's been really game-changing for us," Gill said

"Taking the momentum right through from the start and taking the game away form ball one and it makes the job of the non-striker and the batsmen coming in a bit easier and I think it has helped our team a lot," Gill added further.

The three-match ODI series will be very crucial from an Indian point of view as it will help them prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. At the Champions Trophy, India play their tournament opener against Bangladesh and then take on arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23.