India vs England 1st T20I LIVE SCORE: SKY's flying T20 stars looking to give IND a lift after horror run
- 42 Mins ago England up against India's home invincibility
- 47 Mins ago Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid threat for Indian batters
- 59 Mins ago India's stellar run since the 2024 T20 World Cup
- 9 Mins ago India's Eden Gardens run
- 23 Mins ago Back at Eden for a number of Indian players
- 35 Mins ago How England are lining up
- 39 Mins ago A change of roles for Buttler
- 50 Mins ago Jos Buttler facing some old foes
- 59 Mins ago Mohammed Shami returns
- 18 Mins ago Time for a reset for Gambhir and Co?
- 19 Mins ago England full squad
- 35 Mins ago India full squad
- 47 Mins ago Hello and a very good afternoon, folks!
India vs England 1st T20I LIVE SCORE: India have had a forgettable Test season, but a return to T20Is - their most successful format from 2024 - promises to bode well for the team and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
India vs England 1st T20I LIVE SCORE: After a fairly disappointing winter of Test cricket in which six lost Test matches derailed India’s World Test Championship, the team’s attention turns instead to a different ICC tournament and a different-coloured ball, with the Champions Trophy beginning next month. Ahead of it, however, India’s team will focus on a five-match T20I series against a powerful and dangerous England team. India’s T20 unit were in destructive form in 2024, having a record season as they hardly lost a match all year and capped it off with a memorable win in the T20 World Cup as well....Read More
The team, now led by Suryakumar Yadav, will want that streak of form to keep going as this new-look side continues to try and establish itself at the top of the format. Their campaign begins with a match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, up against an England side packed with power and themselves looking to get back to winning ways in T20 cricket, finding themselves in a similar state of transition to an Indian team post-Rohit/Virat.
For India, much of the focus will be on a potential return for Mohammed Shami to international action, returning for the first time to an Indian shirt since the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and to an Indian T20I team for the first time since November 2022. The match could provide an idea of Shami’s fitness and effectiveness, which every Indian fan will want to be at its best ahead of the Champions Trophy.
On the other end, Indian fans will also want to see the best of Sanju Samson after his bumper end to 2024, which included a trio of centuries in which he looked imperious. More will also be expected of the mercurial Abhishek Sharma: while he has played his role as an opener who provides quick starts well, a little more consistency will be expected.
The middle order is where India’s strengths as well as the biggest questions lie. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav form a deadly combination at three and four, capable of playing every role and every shot in the book. However, there are some questions if the number five spot will be retained by Hardik Pandya, with Nitish Kumar Reddy having become a favourite of coach Gautam Gambhir.
However, Hardik is likely a better bowler than Nitish, and his all-round ability should see him get the nod to support Shami and Arshdeep Singh. Axar Patel is expected to be the spin partner for Varun Chakravarthy, while the pitch could determine if India play an extra batter in Rinku Singh or an extra spinner in Washington Sundar.
England, meanwhile, have already announced their playing XI that will take to the field at the Eden Gardens. Phil Salt will open the batting at the ground where he made a name for himself in the IPL, alongside Ben Duckett, while Indian fans will get their first good look at the exciting Jacob Bethell as he develops into an all-format essential for England.
Jos Buttler will continue to be an experienced threat as captain, supported by reliable deputies in Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook. It will be a high-pace trio of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, and Jofra Archer that will try and disrupt India’s batting from entering a flow, and Jamie Overton will provide ever-improving all-round talent in the lower middle order. Lastly, Adil Rashid continues to be the primary spinner in white ball cricket for the England team, and responsible for containing India’s middle-overs batting.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: England up against India's home invincibility
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: When was the last time India lost a T20I series at home? It's been a while. The last team to beat them was Australia and that was back in February 2019. Since then, India have hosted 16 T20I series and won 14 of them.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid threat for Indian batters
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: India's stellar run since the 2024 T20 World Cup
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: So much has been said about how horrible it has been for India since the 2024 T20 World Cup in ODIs and Tests that we might end up glazing over the fact that they have been utterly scintillating in T20s. India have completely shed themselves of the cautious approach that used to make them look completely out of touch with times even as recently as 2021. They have scored at 9.2 runs per over in the powerplay, an astonishing 10.3 from overs 7-15 and 10.9 in the last five overs. In this period, no team has had a better run rate between overs 7-15 or a better ball-per-boundary ratio (4.7).
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: India's Eden Gardens run
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: It has been a long time since a T20 was played at the Eden Gardens. The last time the ground hosted a T20I was when India hosted the West Indies for a three-match T20I series here. India won all three matches, with the last of those being played on February 20. In fact, the last time India lost a T20I at the Eden Gardens was back on April 3, 2016.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Back at Eden for a number of Indian players
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: This is quite a familiar ground for a number of Indian players, either through KKR or through domestic cricket. Suryakumar Yadav spent three years with KKR, Rinku Singh and Varun Chakravarthy currently play for the side. Mohammed Shami plays for Bengal in domestic cricket.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: How England are lining up
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: As they usually do, England have announced their playing eleven a day before the match itself. As stated earlier, Buttler is coming at one down and is not keeping wickets. Keep a keen eye on Jofra Archer, still on a comeback trail from his injury hell.
Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: A change of roles for Buttler
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Brendon McCullum confirmed that Jos Buttler won't be keeping wickets in this series. That will be done by Phil Salt, who will also open with Ben Duckett.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Jos Buttler facing some old foes
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: The England captain is expected to walk out at No.3, as he has for the past few matches for England. Shami has dismissed Buttler thrice in 11 T20 innings and could prove useful when the England captain walks out to bat at No.3. Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy have also dismissed Buttler twice each.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Mohammed Shami returns
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Most eyes will be on how Mohammed Shami fares today and in the rest of the series. Today will be the first time he plays an international match since November 19, 2023. Yes. THAT World Cup match. In fact he has been out for so long that he has missed the entire 2023-25 WTC cycle - Shami's last Test appearance was in the 2023 WTC final.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Time for a reset for Gambhir and Co?
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Ask any professional athlete who have reached the pinnacle of their sport and they would tell you that the thing they hate the most after a big defeat is a long break. Well for Gambhir and his coaching staff, it was not just one defeat but several that has put them under pressure but surely they would not be raring to go. The one way you can push pressure away from you, is by winning. And to win, you have to play. You can't play when there are no matches happening and so naturally, the Indian coaching staff would be quite relieved that the cricket season has resumed.
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: England full squad
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: India full squad
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: Hello and a very good afternoon, folks!
India Vs England LIVE SCORE: After a disappointing Test season - and boy, it was a disaster at multiple levels - the Indian cricket team begins its road to the T20 World Cup when it squares off against England in the 1st T20Is at the iconic Eden Gardens tonight. India's transition has been quite smooth in Tests, with Suryakumar Yadav taking over the reins seamlessly following the T20 World Cup and leading the team to unprecedented heights in 2024, where they lost just one game. But up in front are England, who, under Brendon McCullum, are eager to expand Bazball in T20Is. India. England. High-scoring series. Who will land the knockout punch in Round One? We'll find out.
