India's Predicted Playing XI for first T20I against England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India haven't lost a T20I series since Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy. The T20I series against England, however, will be a tough test for the hosts as the team is under tremendous pressure following a 3-1 series defeat to Australia in the five-match Test series.

India will host England in a five-match T20I series, starting January 22 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The defending T20 World Cup champions have been phenomenal in limited-overs cricket in recent times, having defeated Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa in recent times. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has led by example but the upcoming series against England will be a tough test.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have been given rest following a rigorous Australia tour and in their absence, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are expected to continue at the top of the order. The keeper-batter has been stunning having scored three T20I centuries in 2024 - two against the Proteas and one against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. On the other hand, Abhishek hasn’t been consistent enough and if he fails to prove his value in the England series, the southpaw may lose his spot in the playing XI.

Tilak Varma is expected to feature at number three. He hit 280 runs in four matches in the series against South Africa and finished as the leading run-scorer. Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya are expected to follow him at number four and five respectively. Both cricketers had a quiet tour with the bat against South Africa and will be hoping to bounce back against England.

Flamboyant batter Rinku Singh is expected to feature at number six and Axar Patel at seven. Rinku has been brilliant in T20I cricket but the Aligarh-born has struggled with consistency in recent times. Axar, on the other hand, has been announced as the new vice-captain following impactful performances in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pacer Mohamed Shami is all set to make his international comeback against England. He was out with a heel injury for over a year and after recovery, he worked hard in domestic cricket to be back in the set-up. He is expected to partner with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Varun Chakravarthy, the leading wicket-taker in the South Africa series, is expected to be the number 11.

India’s probable predicted XI - Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy