Joe Root available for England's first ODI against India after birth of son

Joe Root is available for England's first One-Day International against India after the birth of his first child. The 26-year-old delayed his departure to Mumbai in order to be alongside fiancee Carrie Cotterell as she gave birth to son Alfred William on Saturday morning (7 January).

Root is a vital part of the England set-up across all three formats and will fly out to Mumbai on Thursday ahead of the first ODI in Pune on Sunday. Captain Eoin Morgan expressed his delight at Root being available for selection and confirmed that both mother and child are in good health. Morgan also discussed the chances of resting the Yorkshire batsman in the near future, expressing confidence his workload will not be too taxing.

"[Root's son and partner] are healthy which is great news and Joe should be ready for selection for the first ODI, which is also great news," Morgan told Sky Sports.

"We always consider that because Joe is first on the list to be rested if there is an opportunity. We feel given this is a short series and we have three weeks at home before the West Indies tour, that the lead-in to our summer is pretty casual really when you look at the international calendar and the opportunity for him to rest."

England will play two warm-up fixtures against India A at the Branbourne Stadium on Tuesday and Thursday. It remains to be seen if Root features in the second warm-up clash but his presence could prove crucial for England as they look to get revenge for the 4-0 Test series whitewash India inflicted upon them last year.

Root racked up almost 500 runs during the comprehensive defeat by India before Christmas, and the pitiful performances from the team led to calls suggesting Root should replace Alastair Cook as England captain in the Test format. Cook, who first skippered his country in 2010, will meet Andrew Strauss in the coming days to talk about the captaincy, according to The Guardian.