Defending champions India will eye to keep their winning streak intact as they lock horns with England in IND vs ENG 1st T20I on Wednesday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Ever since lifting their 2nd WC title, Suryakumar Yadav and co. have only lost two games across four series. With head coach Gambhir suffering a setback in the form of two series losses in the longest format of the game, he will hope to make a quick turnaround in T20Is and make sure India continue to assert their dominance in the shortest format of the game.
Samson, Shami in focus in IND vs ENG T20Is
While the Indian squad for IND vs ENG T20Is is star-studded, the attention will be on two individuals in particular – Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami. While the former has been in red-hot form in T20Is in his recent outings, the latter will mark his return to international cricket for the first time in 14 months.
Power-packed batting line-up
The former will open the batting for India and is expected to continue on his fine form in T20Is. After all, he is the only Indian batter to have scored three centuries in the team’s previous calendar year in the shortest format of the game. It hasn’t been too long since India played a T20I, having secured a 3-1 victory against South Africa only in November. Samson will partner with Abhishek Sharma at the top, with the latter aiming to improve his performance after a lean run in the last few games.
India’s middle-order comprises of stalwarts including Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh – all of them who have the reputation of being destructive batters. Adding depth to the batting is the unsung hero of T20 World Cup and newly-appointed vice-captain Axar Patel. The team can also avail the services of Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel in order to strengthen their batting depth.
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Shami to lead bowling attack
All eyes will be on Shami as he makes his return to international cricket after a gap of 14 months. This series, and especially the 1st T20I, will be crucial for the pacer as it will be his audition stage before Champions Trophy. The same applies for Arshdeep Singh – India’s go-to bowler in the shortest format of the game in recent years. The team also has Harshit Rana at their disposal while Pandya will serve as the third or fourth pacer as per requirements.
Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi are the specialist spinners in the squad alongside Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar. Given the history and nature of the surface at the Eden Gardens, India are expected to go with a pace-heavy bowling line-up, which will mean either Chakravarthy or Bishnoi will get a spot in the playing XI. Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to grab a spot in the XI, which will mean Washington Sundar will have to sit out.
Jos Buttler & co’s balanced batting-pace line-up
England have named a very balanced playing XI for IND vs ENG 1st T20I. While the batting order comprises of the likes of Salt, Duckett, Buttler, Brook, Livingstone and Bethell, the bowling line-up comprises of majorly pacers. Archer, Wood, Overton and Atkinson are the pacers named while Adil Rashid is the only specialist spinner in their XI. England will look to avenge their loss against India in the T20 World Cup 2024 as the two sides lock horns for the first time after the marquee event.
India squad for IND vs ENG 1st T20I
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
England playing XI for IND vs ENG 1st T20I
Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (C), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood