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The much-awaited five-match T20I series between India and England kicks off today at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. With Surya Kumar Yadav leading the Men in Blue and Jos Buttler captaining England, fans can expect a thrilling contest between two of the most exciting teams in world cricket. This series promises to be a cracker, with both sides looking to assert their dominance in the shortest format of the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin picks his India XI for the opening game
Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his preferred playing XI for the first T20I, with a special mention to Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion. While Ashwin made some standard picks for the squad, he specifically addressed the possible selection dilemma between Nitish and Washington Sundar.
Ashwin explained that the key factor in choosing Reddy over Sundar was the conditions at Eden Gardens, where dew is likely to play a significant role. According to Ashwin, Reddy’s skills would be better suited to the conditions, making him a more productive option for the evening game.
“The playing XI is fairly straightforward. There might be a toss-up between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, but at Eden, with dew likely to play a significant role, India might opt for Nitish,” Ashwin shared on his YouTube channel.
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The real Test for Team India
While India has been on a dominant run in recent T20I series against Bangladesh and South Africa, Ashwin cautioned that this series will be a much tougher challenge. He pointed out that Bangladesh posed limited competition, and South Africa fielded a second-string pace attack, although their batting was impressive. Ashwin was clear that the series against Bangladesh should not be seen as a true reflection of India’s strength.
“Bangladesh was a weak team, while South Africa fielded a second-string pace attack, although their batting was excellent. We played against Bangladesh, but they are no match for India. I think that series was a mismatch. I think that series should not be considered a true reflection of our strength,” added Ashwin.
Ashwin emphasized that this new era of fearless cricket in India will face its biggest test yet against a high-quality England team. The upcoming series is expected to challenge India’s abilities and provide a more accurate measure of their T20I prowess under the leadership of Suryakumar.
“This new era of fearless cricket by India will be tested against a high-quality England side. This series will be a proper test of our abilities,” Ashwin added further.
Ashwin’s India XI for the first T20I against England
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami
