India won the toss and chose to bat first against England in the T20I series opener at the Riverside Ground. India, after a 2-0 series loss to Ireland, are fielding three spinners including Varun Chakaravarthy, who returns after recovering from a foot injury. The team is also playing two seamers with Shivam Dube as the sixth bowler.
India captain Shreyas Iyer expressed excitement for the series, emphasizing the fresh start and the team’s readiness. He mentioned the importance of learning from the past series and understanding England’s strengths and weaknesses. Iyer also noted the grass on the wicket but refrained from predicting the pitch’s behavior.
England captain Harry Brook, happy with bowling first, highlighted the team’s positive mood and readiness to face a strong Indian side. He acknowledged the experienced players in the team, such as Jos Buttler and Sam Curran, whose presence provides valuable support.
The playing XIs for the match are as follows:
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, and Luke Wood
India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakaravarthy
