India’s probable playing eleven for the first T20I match against England

The first match of the five-match T20 series between Team India and England is starting today i.e. on Wednesday, 22 January. England’s playing eleven has been announced, whereas Team India has decided to reveal its playing eleven at the time of the toss itself, as is always the case. If Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir’s theory is to be believed, then Rinku Singh’s name seems difficult to be included in the team, because Gambhir always wants more and more all-rounders in the team.

Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, Team India will play its first match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In this match, all eyes will be on Mohammed Shami, who is making a comeback in T20 International cricket after two years. Along with him, second pacer Arshdeep Singh will also be in the field. Apart from this, Harshit Rana can also be included in the playing eleven. The team may have one spinner and two spin all-rounders as well as two pace all-rounders.

The names of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma are confirmed as the opening pair in the probable playing eleven of Team India. Tilak Verma will be at number three and captain Suryakumar Yadav will be at number four. Hardik Pandya will play at the fifth position. However, the question is whether Rinku Singh will play at number 6? If Gambhir wants more all-rounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy may get a chance in place of Rinku Singh. In this situation, Rinku Singh may have to sit out, because Axar Patel will be at number seven.

Washington Sundar is likely to get a chance at number eight, so that there is depth in the batting. A spinner, Varun Chakraborty, will also be in the team. Thus, the team will have two pacers and two pace all-rounders, one of whom does not have pace, which may prove to be a bit weak in Kolkata conditions. One option could be to play Harshit Rana in place of Nitish, which may reduce some depth in the batting, but the balance of pace will be right, which can prove helpful during dew.

Team India’s probable playing eleven for the first T20I match against England:

Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy.