IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Shami, Gambhir-McCullum tussle in focus in battle of powerhouses

India vs England 1st T20I: India will be keen to see returning pacer Mohammed Shami's fitness when a power-packed India take on a dynamic England in the first T20I at the high-scoring Eden Gardens.

In Short

• India will take on England in the 1st T20I of a 5-match series in Kolkata
• Mohammed Shami is making India comeback after long injury layoff
• Eden Gardens is expected to witness another high-scoring T20 match

Fit-again pacer Mohammed Shami returns to the India jersey after a long injury layoff as Suryakumar Yadav's young Indian squad faces a well-matched England in a five-match T20I series. This is also India's first series after the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) had to step in with strict directives on team discipline.

India have redefined their T20I approach, securing series wins over Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and South Africa under captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir. Meanwhile, England captain Jos Buttler is excited to work with new white-ball coach Brendon McCullum and a revamped T20I side packed with power-hitters.

This series will also mark a new chapter for vice captain Axar Patel. The young all-rounder was rewarded for heroics in India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign last year. Axar came up with a superb batting cameo in the final against South Africa, scoring a crucial 47 off 31 balls and claiming nine wickets across eight matches at an impressive average of 19.22.

GAMBHIR vs McCULLUM

It will also be a battle between the two coaches—Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum at Eden Gardens, a venue both are familiar with.

While Gambhir's influence and bold decisions in T20Is have yielded successful results, the Indian coach is still recovering from the Test team's disastrous tour of Australia. This makes a strong performance from the T20 side crucial for his coaching tenure.

Gambhir is under immense pressure, especially following India's ODI series loss to Sri Lanka and Test series defeats to New Zealand at home and Australia away during his tenure.

On the other hand, McCullum, renowned for transforming Test cricket with his aggressive 'Bazball' strategy, now aims to bring similar success to England's limited-overs setup. The McCullum era starts after England surrendered 50-over and T20 World Cup titles during a challenging seven-month stretch in 2023-24.

England will be without key players Reece Topley, Sam Curran, and Will Jacks, but 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, who impressed in the ODI series against the West Indies last year, will be eager to make his mark. McCullum has promised to focus on entertainment on the expected lines in the India series.

"I'm desperate for us to play a really watchable brand of cricket," McCullum told the reporters. "With the talent we have, there's no reason why we can't. We've got a batting line-up which is as powerful as any batting line-up in the world. We've got gun spinners, very good fielders and guys who bowl absolute rockets with the ball, so you've got options there to be able to entertain and give yourself the greatest chance of success."

This eight-match white-ball contest provides an ideal platform for both coaches to experiment with team combinations ahead of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025.

FOCUS ON SHAMI

Shami, who last represented India in their World Cup final loss to Australia, will aim to prove his form and fitness ahead of next month's ICC tournament. He was India's highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023 with 24 dismissals and has an equal number of wickets in his limited T20I career.

Shami returned to competitive action in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal and impressed with a seven-wicket haul. The Indian pacer then produced impressive performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (11 wickets) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (five wickets).

Shami was in full flow during India's practice session at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, bowling at top speed and even spending an hour in the nets two days before the first T20I against England.

After the session, Shami attended a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) event where the Bengal women's U-15 champion team and U-19 team were felicitated. Speaking at the event, Shami shared how his relentless hunger to represent India at the highest level fueled his comeback journey.

With Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the ICC tournament still uncertain due to fitness concerns, Shami's return takes on even greater significance.

HIGH SCORING MATCH?

T20 cricket has become a batter's paradise, with high-scoring games becoming the new norm. And Eden Gardens is no exception. The highest-ever chase in IPL history, Punjab Kings's 263-run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders, came at Eden Gardens. Also, the last eight T20 matches at Eden Garden have produced 200-plus totals.

India have surpassed the 200-run mark in T20Is more than seven times since the T20 World Cup, the most by any team. Their impressive average strike rate stands at 158.28, while England follows closely at 151.66. Both teams back the mantra of smashing and piling up big scores.

Dew is a constant challenge at Eden Gardens during this time of year. With the ball becoming harder to grip, relying on a third spinner could be a risky move.

CAPTAIN's CORNER

"We all want to be very flexible with the batting order. Other than the openers' slots, which are fixed, I think from 3 to 8 or 7, everyone needs to be really flexible with their batting order. Anyone can go in at any time, and we have been practicing for that," Suryakumar said.

"It's not a new set-up because Baz (McCullum) has been around for a while and obviously there are a lot of players in this squad who have been with him in the Test set-up for a number of years already. Just looking forward to building that relationship in the white ball set-up," Buttler said.

PREDICTED PLAYING XI

INDIA's PREDICTED PLAYING XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Mohammed Shami

ENGLAND PLAYING XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood