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England
India
England and India will begin the 5-match T20I series with the first game at Chester-le-Street. India will enter this match after a disappointing 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland.
Shreyas Iyer's first full-time T20I captaincy assignment did not produce the desired result, so India will aim for a better performance against a stronger opponent. England will play under Harry Brook and will try to use home conditions to take early control of the series.
India has won 4 of the last 5 T20Is against England, with 3 of those victories coming while chasing. England, however, has won 4 of their last 5 completed matches and will carry confidence into this contest.
There will also be plenty of focus on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who could make his international debut after missing the Ireland series. Both teams will target a winning start, making this an important opening match.
Adil Rashid has taken 15 wickets in his last 10 T20I matches, and his ability to break partnerships in the middle overs makes him a strong pick to claim multiple wickets again.
The betting tip is...
Adil Rashid - Over 1.5 wickets
75 %
25 %
EnglandIndiaEngland had a flexible squad with four wicketkeepers, giving them plenty of options to make adjustments during the series. Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Tom Banton and Jordan Cox were all capable of taking over the wicketkeeping role. The all-round department included Jacob Bethell, James Coles, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, providing balance with both bat and ball.
The pace attack was led by Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, while Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed and Josh Tongue offered the spin options. Harry Brook captained the side and added stability to the middle order. England had a balanced combination with experienced campaigners and versatile all-rounders, giving them depth across every department.
Butter, Salt and Brook are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Jos Buttler (wk), Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Will Jacks, James Coles, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood
India suffered a setback before the tour as Nitish Reddy was ruled out of the Ireland and England series with a quadriceps injury. Hardik Pandya also remained unavailable, leaving Shivam Dube as India's only seam-bowling all-rounder. The squad included several young players. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned a place in the squad. If he plays, he is in contention to open alongside Abhishek Sharma.
Prince Yadav also received his maiden call-up and took a 3-fer vs Ireland. Shreyas Iyer led the side, while Tilak Varma served as vice-captain. Ishan Kishan returned as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Shivam Dube and Axar Patel were the two all-rounders in the squad. The pace attack featured Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. The spin department included Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel.
Abhishek, Kishan and Iyer are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi/Varun Chakravarthy and Prince Yadav.
England will start as slight favourites because of home conditions, but this should be a competitive contest. Both teams have enough batting quality to post a good total, although England's bowling attack could make the difference. Both teams have strong squad depth and multiple wicket-taking and experienced bowlers.
Adil Rashid has taken 15 wickets in his last 10 T20 matches and will be a key player in the middle overs against India's aggressive batting lineup.
India will also rely on Varun Chakravarthy, who has picked up 13 wickets in his last 8 T20Is, to keep England under pressure. Expect a close game, but England's experienced bowling attack is likely to give them the edge and play a major role in the result.
