The lingering chill of the Indian winter had begun to fade, giving way to the dry warmth of early 2025. The international calendar brought the England Men's National Team to the subcontinent for a three-match One Day International series.
It was the final bilateral series before the ICC Champions Trophy.
England arrived with clear intentions. They brought a deep batting lineup and express fast bowlers, aiming to play high-tempo, boundary-clearing cricket on Indian soil.
They stepped into a side fully prepared.
The Indian team, under Captain Siddanth Deva and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, had removed any focus on personal milestones. Their approach of team-first, aggressive execution had been adapted to the fifty-over format.
The pitches prepared for the series were traditional subcontinent surfaces—dry, baked by the sun, without grass, and abrasive. They were made to tire fast bowlers and reward the spinners as the matches went on.
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The series began under the dry heat of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
England won the toss and chose to bat. They posted 265 on a pitch that held up and gripped the ball. When India came out to chase, Jofra Archer and Reece Topley extracted sharp, uneven bounce. The Indian top order struggled. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill fell early, looking to force the pace against the new ball.
At 42 for 2, the Rajkot crowd fell quiet.
Siddanth Deva walked down the pavilion steps.
He arrived at the crease and assessed the pitch. He did not counter-attack. He played a classical ODI innings.
He played late, under his eyes, handling Archer's pace. He built a partnership with Virat Kohli, then with Shreyas Iyer. Deva did not hit a boundary in his first thirty deliveries. He dropped the ball into the outfield, running hard, turning singles into twos. He tired the English fielders under the sun.
Once the bowling lost its edge and the required rate came under control, Deva shifted gears. He played cover drives and back-foot punches, finding the gaps.
He anchored the chase. He hit the winning boundary in the 47th over, finishing unbeaten on 88. India took a 1-0 lead.
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If Rajkot showed restraint, the second ODI at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur was pure attack.
India won the toss and batted on a flat surface.
The top order laid a strong base. When Deva walked out in the 25th over, the platform was set.
He did not settle slowly. Following the team's aggressive plan, he attacked the English spinners. When Adil Rashid tossed the ball up, Deva stepped out and hit sixes down the ground. When the fast bowlers returned at the death, he used the depth of the crease and pulled into the mid-wicket stands.
The Nagpur crowd roared. Deva scored 124 off 78 balls and pushed India's total past 350.
His contribution continued with the ball.
In the second innings, as England's middle order tried to chase, Deva brought himself on. The abrasive pitch had scuffed the white ball. He bowled off-cutters that dipped. The lack of pace beat the batsmen, who played through the shot early.
Deva took two wickets in successive overs, breaking the chase. India defended the total and sealed the series.
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The final match was a dead rubber under the floodlights of Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India did not ease off.
The pitch was dry and offered turn from the start.
Deva won the toss and chose to bowl. He used his spinners against an England side that looked drained. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav bowled well, but the captain applied the pressure in the middle overs.
Deva bowled a long spell. He fired his off-spin flat and quick, giving no flight or width. He set attacking fields. England's batsmen, desperate to score, took risks.
Deva took three wickets. He trapped the England captain lbw and bowled two middle-order batsmen who swept across the line. England were restricted to 185.
Rohit Sharma scored a brisk half-century and India chased the target inside 30 overs.
India swept the series 3-0.
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The noise of the ODI series was absent inside the air-conditioned corridors of the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai.
In the main boardroom the mood was practical.
Ajit Agarkar, the Chief Selector, sat at the head of the table. Gautam Gambhir sat to his right. Siddanth Deva sat to his left in a black polo shirt, eyes on the screens.
The screens showed player numbers, fitness reports, and venue details for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
The tournament would be held in the United Arab Emirates.
"The conditions in the UAE in February and March," Agarkar said, "will be specific. Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi. The pitches will be used from the domestic leagues. They will be dry, low, and slow. Spin will be the main factor."
"Sharjah will turn," Gambhir said. "Dubai has long boundaries where timing the ball will be hard. We need players who can handle slow-pitch cricket."
Deva leaned forward.
"Pace is secondary here," he said. "If we take four express fast bowlers they will find little help. We need good spinners and all-rounders who can field in the heat and bowl ten overs of control."
Agarkar brought up the pace options.
"Jasprit Bumrah's workload," Agarkar noted. "He has bowled a lot in the Tests. He is our main bowler for the World Test Championship Final in England later this year."
"We rest him," Gambhir said. "Playing him on dead pitches in Sharjah risks his body for little gain. He stays home."
"I agree," Deva said. "Me, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh will take the main pace roles. Hardik Pandya will be the fourth seamer. That is enough pace."
They turned to spin.
"Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are certain," Agarkar said. "We need a fourth option. Someone different from left-arm spin and wrist spin."
Deva looked at the list.
"We need a mystery spinner," he said. "Someone who does not need the pitch to beat the batsman. Someone who can bowl in the powerplay and at the death on a flat track."
He pointed to a name.
"Varun Chakravarthy."
Gambhir nodded. "He has been bowling well in domestic cricket. His action is hard to read. On a slow UAE pitch he will be difficult in the middle overs."
"Put him in," Deva said.
The top order was clear. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill were locked in. The middle order had Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant.
The last spot needed an off-spinner who could bat and handle left-handers.
"Washington Sundar," Gambhir said. "He can bowl in the powerplay, keeps it tight, and adds batting depth."
"Agreed," Deva said.
The meeting ran for three hours. Every name was checked against the conditions. No player was chosen for past service alone. Each selection was made for the dry pitches of the Middle East.
Agarkar looked at the final list of fifteen.
"It is a strong squad," he said. "Balanced, heavy on spin, with batting depth. The BCCI will release it at 4:00 PM."
Deva stood, shook hands with Agarkar and Gambhir.
"The plan is set," he said. "Now we go to the desert and play."
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At 4:00 PM the BCCI accounts posted a single PDF.
The caption read: India's 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in the UAE.
Fans and journalists downloaded it at once. They read the names and saw the clear thinking behind the selection.
The squad was:
Siddanth Deva (c), Virat Kohli (vc), Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
The reaction was immediate.
The absence of Jasprit Bumrah surprised some, but most understood the decision to keep him fresh for the Test Championship.
Attention turned to the depth of the side and the return of Varun Chakravarthy.
@CricketNerd_IND: Varun Chakravarthy is back. On the slow pitches in Sharjah and Dubai he will be hard to face. Good selection by Deva and Gambhir.
@Hitman_Army_Mumbai: Rohit, Kohli, Gill, Iyer, Rahul, Pant. The batting goes deep. You can lose early wickets and still have strong players coming in. This side is built to score big.
@Stats_Guy99: Resting Bumrah makes sense for workload. The UAE pitches give little to pace. Four main spinners plus Sundar is the way to play there.
@Sonia_Styles12: Strong squad. Looking forward to the tournament in the UAE.
@UK_Cricket_Pundit: This is a squad built for the conditions. Deva has looked at the venues and chosen spin and batting depth over extra pace.
@BlueBleeders: Survive Shami and Arshdeep and then face Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Varun for thirty overs. Scoring will be difficult.
The mood among Indian fans was confident. The selection showed clear thinking. The team was prepared for the conditions and ready to compete for the trophy.
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Away from the noise of selection and social media, the Shamshabad estate in Hyderabad was quiet.
Late afternoon light fell across the lawns.
In the master suite Siddanth Deva stood near the closet in a black t-shirt and travel trousers. His two blue Nike kitbags sat on the floor. He packed his bats, spikes, and national team jerseys.
Krithika sat on the edge of the bed.
She was near the end of her second trimester. She wore a soft maternity dress and rested her hands on her stomach. She watched him pack with a tired smile.
"The UAE," she said. "Closer than Australia. The time difference is smaller."
"Short flight," Deva said. He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Short tournament. I will be back soon."
He placed his hand on her stomach and felt the movement.
"Are you feeling well?" he asked. "What did the doctors say?"
"Everything is fine," Krithika said. "The baby is healthy. I am tired, but Athamma and Mama are here, and Anjali visits time to time. We are looked after."
Deva kissed her forehead and stayed there a moment.
The bedroom door opened.
"Nana, the driver has the SUV at the front. You should leave in four minutes to avoid the evening traffic," Rishi said.
"Thank you," Deva said. He stood and went to his son, dropping to one knee.
"You are in charge while I am away," Deva told him. "Look after your mother and grandparents. And no complicated games with the house rules while I am gone."
"I will keep things fair," he said. "Good luck in the United Arab Emirates. The pitches in Sharjah will turn. You will need to adjust."
Deva laughed and hugged him.
"Aadhya!"
She ran down the hall in a yellow dress and jumped into his arms. Deva caught her and spun her once.
"Are you going to play cricket again?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "In the desert."
"Bring me a present," she said.
"I will," Deva said. "Be good for Amma."
He set her down, picked up the kitbags, and took a last look at the room—his wife, his son, his daughter.
He walked out to the veranda.
The grey SUV waited. Rahul opened the rear door.
"Ready, sir?"
"Let's go."
Deva stepped in. The door closed.
The warm expression left his face. His eyes became focused and cold. His mind turned to the dry pitches, the spin of Kuldeep and Varun, and the batsmen he would face.
The SUV moved down the driveway, through the gates, and towards the airport, carrying the Indian captain to the Champions Trophy.