Predicted India Playing XI: Focus on Samson, Shami as Gambhir seeks redemption

Catch how Team India could linup in the first T20 international against England on January 22.

Sandwiched between the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) and the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy is the bilateral series between India and England. The white-ball rubber will beckon from January 22, with five T20 internationals followed by three ODIs. Although the ODI squad and the ICC Champions Trophy squad are more or less the same, the case for the T20Is is altogether different for India. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the T20I setup features a much younger roster, filled with talented superstars. The return of Mohammed Shami, meanwhile, has garnered much buzz alongside Sanju Samson, who was left out of the squad for the Champions Trophy. We are just a couple of days away from the maiden T20I and below we have the predicted India playing XI for the Kolkata T20I.

Batters: Sanju Samson & Abhishek Sharma have a point to prove?

As aggressive top four as it can get. After consistently performing poorly at other positions, Sanju Samson has taken his starting position. Samson has scored the most runs (366) for India since he gained more experience as an opener, and he has an outstanding strike rate of 198.91. There are three tonnes in this total. Samson will have a point to prove going into this bilateral, given wasn’t selected in the ICC Champions Trophy despite scoring a hundred in his last ODI appearance.

In contrast, Abhishek Sharma has not yet been able to duplicate his IPL performance in international cricket. Only 18.85 has been his average since the T20Is against Bangladesh. In domestic cricket, however, he is in scorching form, scoring 467 runs at 58.38 at 130.45 (VHT) and 255 runs at an SR of 216.10 in SMAT.

Tilak Varma, meanwhile, became the first ever player to hit three consecutive hundreds in T20 cricket, two of which came in South Africa. In that series, he made 280 runs at 140.00 and operated at a SR of 198.58. Now comes Suryakumar Yadav, whose form has fallen a bit in recent times. Since the T20 World Cup 2024, he has scored just 230 runs at 25.55, which is not ideal by his standards. But this is due to the fact that he has kept the team first and goes all guns blazing from ball one. Regardless, fans would see more of Suryakumar in these upcoming T20Is. They form the top four of the side.

Middle-order & All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy together?

Complementing the top-order is another aggressive set of batters, featuring Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. All three would be vital on a small Eden Gardens field. Pandya has been a superstar, whether it is with bat or bowl. He has played a decent amount of matches in the white-ball domestic cricket for Baroda and has done well. Joining him could be Nitish Kumar Reddy, who would be a perfect heir to Pandya. He is that rare seam-bowling all-rounder who has a penchant to outperform himself over and over again.

Reddy had a Border Gavaskar Trophy tour to remember Down Under, and taking confidence from there would further make him fearless. While there is a spot for Washington Sundar or Harshit Rana as well, NKR’s batting and pace-bowling abilities nip him ahead. Another batter in the mix is Rinku Singh, who knows a thing or two about Eden Gardens. In 17 innings at the venue, Rinku has 413 runs at 150.18. Since the T20 World Cup 2024, he has featured in all T20I games, making 151 runs at a SR of 143.80. But don’t be surprised if you see him bowling as well against England! 

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, please find groove before Champions Trophy

Here comes the bowler and the majority of focus would definitely be on Mohammed Shami. The Bengal pacer would be rearing to prove his fitness before the all-important Champions Trophy. He last featured for India during the famous (for AUS) night on the ODI World Cup Final in Ahmedabad. Since then, he has played all three formats for his state side, faring well. All eyes would be on him and how his rhythm goes. Partnering the new ball with him would be Arshdeep Singh, who is just two wickets away from becoming India’s all-time

Also, another player who will gain attention would be Axar Patel, who is the designated vice-captain of the team. Among spinners, Axar and Varun Chakravarthy are the two first-choice options. Axar, who was retained at Rs 16.25 crore by the Delhi Capitals (DC), is one of the most experienced guys now. He was one of the unsung heroes at the T20 World Cup, making a vital fifty in the final. Chakravarthy, meanwhile, has made a mind-boggling return since his comeback. In 7 games, he has picked up 17 wickets at an incredible SR of 9.8. England batters might find it hard picking his variations as well.

Predicted India Playing XI for 1st IND vs ENG T20I