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IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I: Here's a look at India's record in T20I matches at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata
IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I: India's young guns
The team has discovered capable T20 talent in Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. Opening batsman Sanju Samson aims to continues his good show in T20Is after being left out of the Champions Trophy squad. He notched three centuries in his previous five T20I appearances. Varma's rise as a formidable middle-order batsman, with two T20I centuries last year, helps distribute the batting responsibilities, complementing captain Surya's own match-winning capabilities.
IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I: India favourites
India enter the series as the favouries, maintaining an unbeaten record in bilateral series since their T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last year. Head to head in the last seven T20Is, India have won five times. However, the current squad features only five players from the World Cup-winning team, following the T20 retirement of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I: England hungry for white-ball success
England, despite their recent struggles in T20 cricket, are showing renewed confidence under the leadership of Brendon McCullum, who has taken over the white-ball duties as well. In a strategic shift, 34-year-old captain Jos Buttler will move up to the number three position and hand over wicketkeeping duties for this series to Phil Salt. The opening partnership will feature Salt, who accumulated 1381 T20 runs with an impressive strike-rate of 166.18 last year, alongside Ben Duckett, continuing their combination from the Caribbean series in November.
IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I: All eyes on Shami
Mohammed Shami's return to action for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup final and Arshdeep Singh's impressive record as India's leading wicket-taker in the previous T20 World Cup, where he claimed 17 wickets across eight fixtures, will be crucial for India. The team will rely on this pace duo to secure early dismissals and restrict England's formidable batting order. More importantly, India would want Shami fit and roaring for the upcoming Champoins Trophy.
IND vs ENG Live, 1st T20I
As India shift focus from red ball to white-ball cricket, leading up to the Champions Trophy next month, many are viewing the England's white-ball tour of India as warm-up to the big-ticket 50-over ICC event. But for the hosts, it's a chance to lift their mood and spirits ahead of the Champions Trophy, after the disappointing tour of Australia, which resulted in a 1-3 loss in the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy series. We at Timesofindia, like always, are here to paint those pictures for you, beginning with the first match of the five-T20I series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The healing process for certain wounds requires patience. However, coach Gautam Gambhir faces immediate pressure following India's defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, with critics questioning his leadership. As the Champions Trophy approaches in a month's time, the Indian dressing room needs rejuvenation. And Gambhir understands that achieving a series victory against England is crucial, as positive results are the key to lift the team's spirits.
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