Brydon Carse has been added back to England’s squad for the ongoing ODI series against India, having sustained an injury while batting in the nets for Sunrisers Hyderabad in preparation for their IPL 2026 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The seam bowler’s return comes as England, fresh from a historic T20I series win, look to respond after India took a 1-0 lead in the 50-over series with a six-wicket victory in the opening match.
Series like this one tend to be remembered for their momentum swings, and England have already lived through several. A T20I campaign that ended with them replacing India at the top of the world rankings has given way to an ODI series that opened, instead, with a reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn in this fixture. Against that backdrop, news of a squad change involving a bowler who was, until recently, on the other side of the world preparing for a franchise tournament, adds another layer to a series already defined by transition and recalibration.
Carse’s situation is unusual in its origins. Injuries picked up in domestic or franchise cricket rippling back into an international squad are not uncommon, but the detail that he was hurt in a nets session ahead of an IPL opener, rather than in a completed match, underlines how thin the margins are for players shuttling between formats and competitions in the modern calendar.
A series still finding its shape
England’s position heading into this ODI series was always going to be shaped by what preceded it. Their T20I triumph, England’s first-ever series win over India in the format, was built on standout individual performances: Buttler’s 131 off 64 balls and Brook’s 95 not out off 45 deliveries propelled England to 257-3 in one match, while Brook’s 79 and Salt’s 59 sealed a nine-wicket win in another, restricting India to 158 for 7 despite Iyer’s 80.
That confidence has not yet carried over into the 50-over format. India’s six-wicket win in the first ODI, built on Shubman Gill’s 80, contributions of 57 from Axar Patel and 52 from Washington Sundar, saw them reach 262 for 4 in 45.2 overs. England’s total had rested on Joe Root’s 76 and Liam Dawson’s 68, but Axar Patel’s 4-62 proved decisive in restricting England to a total India ultimately overhauled with something to spare.
India’s own adjustments
England are not the only side managing squad changes. India will be without Rana for the remainder of the ODI series after he sustained a hamstring injury, with Yadav named as his replacement.
What remains unclear
Looking ahead
With India 1-0 up in the series and England still searching for the form that carried them to a landmark T20I win, the remaining ODI fixtures take on added significance. Carse’s fitness, and any further clarification from England’s management on his availability, will be a detail worth tracking as the squad looks to level the series. For India, the challenge is to build on Gill’s leadership and the middle-order contributions that decided the first match, while continuing to manage the transitional phase. Both sides will have reason to treat the next fixture as a measure of which of these two contrasting series narratives, England’s T20 dominance or India’s ODI resurgence, better reflects the current balance of power between them.
