The all-rounder has not played a 50-over game for England since the World Cup final in July 2019 but who will join him in the starting XI on Tuesday?
A quirk of the pandemic, a packed schedule and England’s changing priorities is that when Ben Stokes takes the field against India in Pune on Tuesday, it will be the all-rounder’s first one-day international since his starring role in the 2019 World Cup final.
There is every chance that in the three-match series behind closed doors Stokes will have a new role too, with the left-hander expected to move up to No3 in the absence of the rested Joe Root as he strives for a more telling impact than was witnessed during the T20 side’s recent 3-2 defeat.
