The two top-ranked sides in the world, England and India, take on each other in a five-match T20I series at Motera. With an eye on the T20 World Cup later this year, both teams will be eager to iron out their flaws and shortlist their best possible XI as they take the field from Friday.
The Indian side will be without Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, but they have a strong squad. IPL stars Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul Tewatia have got maiden call-ups. England, too, are at full-strength, following Jofra Archer’s recovery from an elbow injury that saw him miss the last Test match.
The biggest talking point, however, will be the combination that India choose to go in with. They have a power-packed middle order, with Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Kishan, and it will be interesting to note who gets the nod. While Iyer has been assigned the role at No. 4 in white-ball cricket over the last few seasons, Suryakumar offers a more explosive option with the ability to increase the run rate in the death overs.
All eyes will be on the bowlers from either side as well. India will field a relatively inexperienced attack, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the attack after recovering from multiple injuries. He last played for India in December 2019 against West Indies, and will be keen to leave his mark in the absence of the mainstays.
The availability of Archer, on the other hand, will be a big boost to England, considering he has the skills to perform in hostile conditions with both the new ball and at the death. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are expected to be the spinners, but with the pitch for the first game likely to be a belter, and with dew set to make its presence felt, they will have a tough job on their hands.
Team news:
India: Skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that KL Rahul will be opening the innings on Friday alongside Rohit Sharma. Pant is a sure-shot selection after an impressive last few months, while the number four slot will be a battle between Iyer and Suryakumar. Varun Chakravarthy has failed the fitness test with reports suggesting that Tewatia has not passed the test either. Rahul Chahar has been called in as a replacement for the former, but he is not likely to play the opener. With T Natarajan not fit, the pace-bowling options will be between Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini, with Bhuvneshwar certain to make the XI.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel
England: England have their full-strength team for the T20Is. They may go in with the same combination at the top as the one that had played against South Africa. Jason Roy and Jos Buttler may open, with Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairtsow and Eoin Morgan at three, four and five, respectively.
Probable XI: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid