England tour of India 2025

1st T20I: IND vs ENG

Preview

India will take on England for the first match of the five-game T20I series, which will commence on Wednesday at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata today, Wednesday, January 22. 

The Men in Blue will be back in the shortest format of the game, with their experienced players and some new talents assembling a strong squad. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the pack, along with Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya as the all-round options. He will have Mohammed Shami, who is returning to the pace attack following his long-term injury. He will receive further support from Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, and Arshdeep Singh. Young, strong arms such as Abhishek Sharma and Dhruv Jurel will add more strength to the bowling unit. Though the defending World Champions, India, seems very strong on paper, executing their plans against a formidable English side will be challenging.

On the contrary, Jos Buttler led England as one of the most aggressive sides under the influence of head coach Brendon McCullum. With the support of batters like Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook, they are capable of dominating any bowling side. The presence of Brydon Carse and Jacob Bethell also adds depth to the squad. The bowling side will have the services of Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Adil Rashid, who can pick quick wickets at regular intervals. The Three Lions would have the strategy of batting first and playing aggressively to accumulate maximum runs to put the home side under pressure with the bowlers' influence in the game's second innings. 

The two nations have competed in 24 matches in the T20 format. India has significantly claimed victory 13 times, while England won 11 times.

Match Details

Match: IND vs. ENG, 1st T20I, England tour of India 2025

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Time: 07:00 PM

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Pitch Report

The iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is one of the biggest venues in India. It has deep boundaries and a flat wicket, allowing batters to play their strokes on the up. In the game's early stages, fast bowlers will receive some assistance. Spin bowlers can be effective during the middle overs, and the big boundaries will offer them extra support in their experimentation with lines and lengths. 

The weather forecast for Kolkata is suitable for a cricket match. Clear skies are expected, and the fans can enjoy the game without interference. The average temperature on matchday is around 24°C, and the humidity level is 55%. 

IND vs ENG Squads

IND: Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana

ENG: Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed

IND vs ENG Probable XIs

IND: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy

ENG: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood

Match Prediction

Team India is expected to win the match based on their squad strength and home advantage.

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