India will face England in the 1st T20I at Kolkata's Eden Gardens |Courtesy - AP/PTI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- India will face England in a five-match T20I series
- Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will continue to open the batting
- Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace attack
Mohammed Shami will play his first match for India since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final and make his comeback to the Indian T20I side after a gap of 802 days when India takes the field against England in the first T20I of a five-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (January 22).
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will be boosted by the return of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the series against South Africa after being named in the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. After a breakthrough red-ball series, the 21-year-old will look to continue his rapid rise in the shortest format of the game.
With the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill being rested for the series, India is set to continue with the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. While Samson has scored three centuries in the last five T20I innings and made himself undroppable, Sharma will look to make a mark after a mixed start to his career.
Tilak Verma will retain the number three spot after scoring back-to-back tons against the Proteas in November, which means Suryakumar will be at number four. Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh will form a strong lower middle order for the home team.
Vice-captain Axar Patel will bat at number eight while Varun Chakarvarthy is set to lead the spin attack after a remarkable comeback to the national team in 2024. This means both Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi will not find a place in the lineup, as it is unlikely that India will field three spinners with dew expected at the iconic venue.
India's leading wicket-taker among pacers in T20I cricket, Arshdeep Singh will share the new ball with Shami. Both Hardik and Nitish will offer the team seam bowling options too.
India Likely XI For 1st T20I vs England: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakarvarthy
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