Rohit Sharma is fit and will finally take the field against England in the first T20I of the three-match series starting at Rosebowl, Southampton. His counterpart, Jos Buttler will be leading the English team for the first time in a full-time capacity and thus this match actually is a test of two different things.
Firstly, Buttler would look to settle himself in the new role and try and make stable communication with new coach Brendon McCullum. The Bzaball attitude of McCullum in Test cricket is sure to bode well with the English white-ball team which has already been an attacking unit.
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Secondly, it will be the first time that Rohit Sharma will be leading India full-time in overseas conditions. Thus, it will test his adjustment to conditions and his captaincy in conditions unfamiliar to him.
What’s at stake?
Since it is the first game for both Rohit and Buttler in new roles, both of them, especially Buttler, since he is playing in his home conditions, will look to start his new innings with a win. On the other hand, Rohit would want his team to test the English as much as possible and justify their world number two ranking in T20Is and try and win this first match.
Who will be the two key players for both teams?
Deepak Hooda
India’s Deepak Hooda is going through the form of his life. Last week, batting against Ireland, he became only the fourth Indian after Suresh Raina, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to hit a century in T20I cricket. Thus, in this game, the man from Rajasthan will be crucial in tackling the English bowlers.
Jos Buttler
There is no one more dangerous than the captain himself, Jos Buttler. He has all the shots in the book and against the Netherlands, he showed that he can be as brutal as it gets as the entire English team butchered the Dutch in a three-match 50-over series. Even in the IPL, he was as solid as a rock and thus the Indian team must pay attention to getting him out early as possible.
Liam Livingstone vs Yuzvendra Chahal: Battle to watch out for
Liam Livingstone has been going through a very pleasant phase in his career and no matter what he touches, it is turning into gold. His fifty against the Netherlands combined with quickfire runs in the T20 Blast make him an excellent choice to target India’s best bowling option- Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chahal too has been in a good form. He was the winner of the Purple cap in IPL 2022 and then against Ireland too, he won the Player of the Match award in the first T20I that he played. He is known for trapping big-hitters in his googlies and thus it will be exciting to see what he has to offer to Livingstone.
Possible playing elevens of both the teams
The Indian team will go with the tried and tested pairing of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma at the top with Deepak Hooda at three and Suryakumar Yadav at four. Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik will then occupy the number five and six spots with five proper bowlers in Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chahal, Umran Malik and Axar Patel filling the rest of the spots.
On the other hand, England will look to go in with Jason Roy and Buttler at the top. Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali and Phil Salt will be the three middle-order batters with all-rounders Livingstone coming in at six and Harry Brook at seven. Sam Curran and Tymal Mills could be the two left-arm fast bowling options with either Richard Gleeson or Chris Jordan playing alongside leg spinner Matthew Parkinson as two out and out bowlers.
How will the pitch play?
The Pitch at Rose Bowl, Southampton will have plenty to offer to fast bowlers early on, but it will get better to bat with time. However, chasing has so far not been great at this wicket and thus it will be a tough ask for the Indians who have generally been great chasers but not very good defenders.
Who holds the edge?
Since England are the hosts and most of their players are coming off from a vibrant T20 season in the Blast, they definitely hold the edge in their home conditions.
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