Kanpur: After winning the three-match ODI series 2-1, Virat Kohli’s men will take on England in a three-match T20I series. The first match of the series will be played at Green Park stadium. (India vs England – Full Coverage)
Batsmen from both teams would be high on confidence after playing some brilliant knock in the ODI series. On the other hand, bowling will be a matter of concern for the skippers.
Having pocketed the One-Day International (ODI) series 2-1, the Kohli-led hosts will be aiming to make the most of their limited overs experience, as the T20I rubber is the last before the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy from June 1.
In between, India will be playing a one-off Test against Bangladesh before the four-match gruelling Test series against the visiting Australians next month.
Following that, will be the Indian Premier League (IPL) from April 3 to May 26, which will leave the national team very little time to regroup for the Champions Trophy in England.
The T20I series will also provide players, including the 30-year-old Raina and 37-year-old Nehra, a great opportunity to stake their claim for a berth in the 50-over side.
Both Nehra and Raina have been out of the national side since the ICC World T20 in March last year and will be eying the upcoming T20Is against England to stage a comeback.
On the other hand, England, after pipping India by five runs in the third ODI and avoiding a whitewash, will be aiming to finish their dismal tour on a winning note. The visitors had earlier lost the five-match Test rubber 0-4.
The visitors have added more firepower in their bowling with the addition of right-armer Chris Jordan and left-arm quick Tymal Mills.
The English side will once again bank on their top order, comprising the likes of Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali to post a competitive total on the board.
All-rounder Ben Stokes has been a revelation with both the bat and the ball in the ODIs and England will hope he repeats his feats in the shortest version.
In the bowling department, leg spinner Adil Rashid and Ali will be Morgan`s go-to bowlers in the middle overs while Liam Plunkett, Jake Ball will be the first choice pacers apart from Jordan and Mills.
Here is all you need to know about the match:
LIKELY XIs
INDIA: KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (capt), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Parvez Rasool, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah
ENGLAND: Sam Billings, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Jake Ball
TV listing: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD 1 — ENGLISH; Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD 3 — HINDI
Live streaming: Hotstar
Date: January 26, 2017 (Thursday)
Time: 14:30 PM IST
Venue: Green Park, Kanpur
Source: Zee News