Sandwiched between the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy is the bilateral series between India and England. The white-ball rubber will beckon from January 22, with five T20 internationals followed by three ODIs. Although the ODI squad and the ICC Champions Trophy squad would ideally remain the same, the case for the T20Is is altogether different for India. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the T20I setup features a much younger roster, filled with talented superstars.
Their last assignment was a four-game T20I series against South Africa, where Team India finished with a 3-1 scoreline (followed up with BGT). Suryakumar Yadav, one of the best T20I batters ever, has led the team phenomenally well, winning 14 out of the 17 games captained. The batting order is more or less settled, with Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma finding their feat with centuries after centuries. The bowling has been led by Arshdeep Singh, while the duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi has been as dangerous as anyone. The official squad for the T20Is against England is expected to be announced next week. Before that, let us predict what the 15-man squad could look like.
Batters: Samson, Abhishek, Tilak to shine under Suryakumar
The top four are as aggressive as anyone. Sanju Samson has claimed his opening spot after regular inconsistencies at other spots. Ever since getting a longer run as an opener, Samson has hit the most runs (366) for India at an enormous SR of 198.91. This tally includes 3 tons. Abhishek Sharma, meanwhile, is yet to replicate his IPL form in international cricket. Since the T20Is against Bangladesh, he has averaged just 18.85. But nonetheless, he is in red-hot form in domestic cricket, making 255 runs at a SR of 216.10 in SMAT and 448 runs at 64.00 at 130.99 in VHT.
Tilak Varma, meanwhile, became the first ever player to hit three consecutive hundreds in T20 cricket, two of which came in South Africa. In that series, he made 280 runs at 140.00 and operated at a SR of 198.58. Now comes Suryakumar Yadav, whose form has fallen a bit in recent times. Since the T20 World Cup 2024, he has scored just 230 runs at 25.55, which is not ideal by his standards. But this is due to the fact that he has kept the team first and goes all guns blazing from ball one. Regardless, fans would see more of Suryakumar in these upcoming T20Is.
Middle-order: Does Pandya need a rest or will Nitish Reddy come?
Now coming to the middle order, Hardik Pandya has been a vital cog superbly. He was touted to be the captain but Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid chose Suryakumar Yadav. Still, he is that bridge in the team that keeps all the departments intact. His bowling has gone above a notch as well. But will he play in the T20Is? Well, there could be a question over his participation because of the upcoming ODI assignments. He should definitely play the ICC Champions Trophy and thus needs to be fresh for the tournament despite playing the three ODIs against England.
Pandya has regularly featured in the domestic setup, playing five SMAT games and three Vijay Hazare Trophy fixtures. But regardless, his last international assignment was almost two months ago and thus he might feature in the initial matches of the T20Is. Now comes Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had his big moment at the BGT. But he played all the games in the Test series and thus BCCI might want to rest him.
Rinku Singh, who has shown his bowling skills in the Vijay Hazare, will keep his place as a finisher in the team. Since the T20 World Cup 2024, he has featured in all T20I games, making 151 runs at a SR of 143.80. But don’t be surprised if you see him bowling against England! Another all-rounder in the mix is Ramandeep Singh, who made his T20I debut in South Africa. He is a proper T20 talent, enjoying a SR of 172.43 in T20 cricket. He recently made 80 off 53 in a 50-over game against Hyderabad as well.
Bowlers: Mohammed Shami to play IND vs ENG T20Is?
The bowling arsenal for India is in nascent stages as well. After Bumrah and Arshdeep, we are still seeking pacers who can support them. But what about Mohammed Shami? There’s no denying that India would be looking at Shami for the Champions Trophy. Hence, will they play him some matches in the T20Is to get in the rhythm or will they straightaway put him for the ODIs against England? If he doesn’t get included, Harshit Rana should be the pick. In IPL 2024, Rana took 19 wickets in 11 games at a bowling SR of 13.00.
The other pacer is obviously Arshdeep Singh, who is on the radar for the Champions Trophy. Despite making his T20I debut in July 2022, he is one of the leading wicket-takers in Indian T20I history. In the last two years, he has taken 62 scalps at a SR of 12.7. Mayank Yadav, who rattled everyone with pace, was handed his debut against Bangladesh. Alarmingly, he hasn’t played a single competitive match since then. There are dark clouds over his fitness as well. The other pace bowling options that could be considered are Avesh Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal, and Vaibhav Arora.
Among spinners, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy are the two first-choice options. Axar, who was retained at Rs 16.25 crore by the Delhi Capitals (DC), is one of the most experienced guys now. He was one of the unsung heroes at the T20 World Cup, making a vital fifty in the final. Chakravarthy, meanwhile, has made a mind-boggling return since his comeback. In 7 games, he has picked up 17 wickets at an incredible SR of 9.8. England batters might find it hard picking his variations as well.
Backups: Prabhsimran deserves a chance
Among the backups, we have included Prabhsimran Singh, who is a superb batting talent. Ricky Ponting has waxed lyrical on him, and the PBKS youngster has been turning heads with his superb show in the ongoing VHT. He has struck three successive hundreds, taking his season’s tally to 484 runs at an average of 96.80 and at a SR of 130.81. These are unreal numbers for a 50-over tournament. Even in SMAT, he made 207 runs at 34.50 and at 165.60.
Now, there is a curious case for Riyan Parag. Parag went to cure his long-term treatment for a chronic shoulder injury. But now he is back in the nets and it will be intriguing if BCCI chooses him in the IND vs ENG squad. If not, Shivam Dube is likely to have another chance. He has not lit up the international circuit and if given a chance, he would like to make every opportunity count.
India’s squad for IND vs ENG T20Is (probable)
1. Abhishek Sharma
2. Sanju Samson (WK)
3. Tilak Varma
4. Suryakumar Yadav
5. Hardik Pandya/Nitish Kumar Reddy
6. Rinku Singh
7. Ramandeep Singh
8. Axar Patel
9. Mayank Yadav
10. Varun Chakravarthy
11. Arshdeep Singh
12. Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
13. Ravi Bishnoi
14. Harshit Rana/Shami
15. Riyan Parag (if injury-free); otherwise, Shivam Dube
IND vs ENG T20I series schedule
| Date | Match Details | Time (IST) | Venue |
| Jan 22, Wed | India vs England, 1st T20I | 07:00 PM Local | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Jan 25, Sat | India vs England, 2nd T20I | 07:00 PM Local | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Jan 28, Tue | India vs England, 3rd T20I | 07:00 PM Local | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
| Jan 31, Fri | India vs England, 4th T20I | 07:00 PM Local | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| Feb 02, Sun | India vs England, 5th T20I | 07:00 PM Local | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
England squad for T20Is vs India
Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Philip Salt, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood
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