A 2-0 series loss at the hands of Ireland was unexpected, to say the least. However, with a new captain and a few players rested, it was going to be a huge task for new captain Shreyas Iyer to get going right away, but given India’s supremacy over the Irish side, it was a shock.
Iyer’s captaincy stint may not have started off on the right note, but there will surely be plenty of learnings from the two matches. With plenty of time remaining for the T20 World Cup, Iyer and India have enough time to get their combinations right.
A good place to start is against England, comprising of Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, and Harry Brook, among other big guns. In a five-match T20I series, there’s enough time to test everyone in the squad, including the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who did not get a game against Ireland.
Sooryavanshi in?
Clearly, India did not want to break up their set top three, consisting of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, by including the teenager, but they will have to rope him in at some point to see how he goes at the highest level.
“This is something that we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. So, definitely, he is a brilliant prodigy. And whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do brilliantly,” Iyer said when asked about Sooryavanshi’s possible inclusion in the XI.
Among the top three, only Abhishek scored a fifty against Ireland. Samson (5 & 0) and Kishan (1 & 12), could be walking on thin ice if they notch up a few more failures with Sooryavanshi waiting.
While Sooryavanshi might not feature, there is certainly a case for Varun Chakravarthy to be included after missing the Ireland series with injury. Suryansh Shedge, who failed to make an impact on debut against Ireland, will likely make way.
India probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
No Archer, Tongue
England have already announced their XI a day prior to the match, with Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue rested after featuring in the Test series against New Zealand. The fast bowling duties will be handled by Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, with Sam Curran donning the role of a fast bowling all-rounder. Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell are the spin options available at England’s disposal.
England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood
There is a chance of rain at Chester-Le-Street, Durham during the match, with the humidity reaching as high as 40%. This will be India’s first-ever T20I at the Riverside Stadium. England have won three of their five completed matches here, only twice while chasing.
Given the gloomy conditions, the captain winning the toss will be tempted to opt to bowl first.
While the Ireland series may have been a disappointing one for India, England gives them a chance to wipe those memories off quickly. England, on the other hand, will know India cannot be taken lightly.
Since winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, England have lost to India twice in the semi-final of the mega event. A series win may not be good enough to erase those, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction for the Harry Brook-led side.
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