What happened the last time India played an ODI at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur before IND vs ENG 2025?

After a resounding 4-1 series win in the T20I series, India is all set to host England in a three-match ODI series, starting on February 6 at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. England would be hoping that the change in formats also brings in a change in their fortune.

India was utterly dominant during the T20I series and it reflected in the scoreline. However with the Champions Trophy just around the corner, these three ODIs will be very important for both teams to finalise their combinations ahead of the marquee event.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the two big names who will make a return to the squad and are expected to play a major role if India is to win the ODI series and the Champions Trophy. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that his team will be eyeing to play a fearless brand of cricket even in ODIs.

India has a superior record against England in ODIs with the Men in Blue winning 58 matches while England has come out triumphant on 44 occasions. Both teams have some top-quality players in their ranks and the VCA Stadium in Nagpur is expected to provide a spectacle to the series opener.

India have won four of the six ODIs they have played in the stadium so far. England’s only ODI at this Stadium came way back in the 2011 World Cup when they won a hard-fought contest against the Netherlands.

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India defeated Australia in the last ODI at the VCA Stadium

Pat Cummins celebrates picking a wicket against India during the Nagpur ODI. Source: Getty

The last ODI in this stadium was played in 2019 between India and Australia where the hosts won by eight runs. In a hard-fought contest, the Indian bowling unit led from the front and secured a thrilling win to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and put the visitors in. India lost Rohit Sharma in the very first over but the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli steadied the ship with a 38-run stand.

Glenn Maxwell then trapped Dhawan right in front of the stumps, while Ambati Rayudu also fell cheaply to reduce the hosts to 75/3. Out came Vijay Shankar and in the company of Kohli, the duo took the attack to the Australian bowlers and kept finding the gaps consistently.

Shankar provided the impetus in the middle overs, scoring a 41 ball 46, while Kohli was set for a big one. Shankar’s dismissal initiated a mini collapse as the hosts were reduced to 171/6 from 156/3. Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni departed early to leave India in a spot of bother.

However, Kohli was still there out in the middle and registered his 40th ODI century. Again from a strong position, India endured a collapse towards the end as they were bundled out for 250 inside the 49th over. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/29, while Adam Zampa chipped in with a couple of wickets.

Kuldeep Yadav bagged three crucial wickets during the last ODI in Nagpur. Source: Getty

The target wasn't a massive one and all Australia needed was to bat sensibly to get over the line. The pitch had something on offer for both pacers and spinners and it worked to India’s advantage. When Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja were going great guns, the match seemed to be well in Australia’s grasp.

Khawaja scored a quickfire 38, while Finch chipped in with 37 as the duo shared an 83-run stand in less than 15 overs. However, Kuldeep Yadav and Kedar Jadhav sent them back in consecutive overs. Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb tried getting the innings back on track with a 39-run stand.

Glenn Maxwell departed after a scratchy knock as the Indian spinners managed to tighten the screws in the middle overs. Jasprit Bumrah also provided ample support to Kuldeep Yadav as he finished with figures of 2/29 in his 10 overs.

Vijay Shankar bowled a splendid final over. Source: Getty

The partnership between Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey again put Australia in a commanding situation and they needed to score at run a ball in the last six overs.

However, Kuldeep Yadav opened the floodgates with Carey’s wicket and India seized on the opportunity. Vijay Shankar bowled the final over and the medium pacer ended up bagging two crucial wickets to orchestrate a eight-run win for the Men in Blue.