England vs India – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs India taking place? Thursday, July 7th, 2022 – 18:00 (UK)
Where is England vs India taking place? The Ageas Bowl, Southampton
What is the expected weather for England vs India? 22-24c with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze throughout
What channel is England vs India on? The match will be televised in the UK live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs India? Subscribers of Sky Sports based in the UK will be able to stream this match live on the Sky Go app.
LAST MEETING
India beat England by 36 runs.
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- Following their thrilling Test victory against India at Edgbaston, England now switch focus back onto white ball cricket as they embark on their first series since the retirement of captain Eoin Morgan.
- Wicket-keeper-batter Jos Buttler has taken up the reigns as captain and little is expected to change in regards to England’s ultra-aggressive style of play with the bat, although he will be without those Test players who are regulars in the first-choice T20 side such as Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes.
- Leg-spin-bowler Adil Rashid is unavailable whilst he makes the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, so Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson is expected to take up his role in the team whilst another Lancashire player in fast bowler Richard Gleeson has been called-up for the first time following consistently excellent performances for his county in the T20 Blast.
INDIA
- After missing the Test match defeat due to contracting Covid-19, India skipper Rohit Sharma is back and ready to lead his side across this T20i series, albeit without a number of his regular stars for this particular match through enforced rest.
- The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are all unavailable as are Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer, which presents an opportunity for other players to test themselves against strong opposition.
- Having scored both a century and half-century across his last three T20 innings for India, Deepak Hooda is likely to be given the chance to play, whilst Dinesh Karthik will take the gloves in Pant’s absence with Rohit expected to open with either Ishan Kishan or Ruturaj Gaikwad.
THE PREDICTION
These two nations are well matched in T20 cricket and this could prove a cracking series, beginning in Southampton. Although India suffered no slip ups in their fixtures against Ireland, or their warm-up games against Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, they were pushed to the limit on a couple of occasions and they will need to improve against a side that boasts the quality of England. When taking into account the number of key players India won’t have available for this first T20i, not to mention the positive feeling currently coursing through English cricket as a whole, the sensible play here would be to back an England victory.
