The 20-year-old has had an impressive start to his ODI career, snaring 10 wickets at an average of 23.30 and a strike rate of 28.20 in five outings, including a four-wicket haul.
According to a report by The Telegraph, England have decided to add Rehan Ahmed to the ODI side for the three-match series against India, which starts on Thursday in Nagpur. He was in the T20I rubber but didn’t play any games, making him the only unused player in that series.
England’s ODI squad initially had Adil Rashid only as a wicket-taking spinner, with Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, and Jacob Bethell as other finger-spin options. Rehan will act as a backup for Rashid and can also play if the surface offers turn and grip for slow bowlers.
Rehan made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Chattogram in March 2023 and last played this format that year itself. Since then, he has featured in other formats but has been away from the ODI version.
The 20-year-old has had an impressive start to his ODI career, snaring 10 wickets at an average of 23.30 and a strike rate of 28.20 in five outings, including a four-wicket haul. He is touted as the replacement for Adil Rashid and has worked extensively with the experienced leg-spinner to prepare himself for the post-Rashid era.
While there can be multiple reasons to retain Rehan Ahmed in the ODI series, the performance in the T20I rubber seems more logical. While Adil Rashid did well in patches, England lacked control from their other spinner, Liam Livingstone, who conceded 10.16 runs per over.
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He is not a 10-over bowler and can’t be trusted on true batting decks, while Root and Bethell are also vulnerable unless the conditions favour spinners heavily. So, England decided to keep an additional wicket-taking option who can go for runs but has a higher probability of taking wickets.
Rehan’s ODI economy rate (4.95) suggests he can simultaneously restrict runs and dismiss batters. The experience in this series will help him get better on nice batting surfaces and learn how to bowl against skilled batters.
Even if he doesn’t get any games, like in the T20I series, the exposure will be mighty helpful. All these factors might have gone into Rehan’s retention for the all-important series before the Champions Trophy 2025.
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