India’s biggest concern in the series is the batting unit. The top order failed to cope with the seam-friendly conditions in Ireland, with Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and skipper Shreyas Iyer all suffering a tough outing. Although Abhishek Sharma showed glimpses of his explosive ability with a 50 in the series, India will need far greater consistency from their senior batsmen against England’s quality attack.
There is also considerable excitement around 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate indicated that the youngster is unlikely to be rushed into the playing XI and will continue to be eased into international cricket.
England, meanwhile, boasts one of the strongest T20 teams in world cricket. Harry Brook leads a team full of proven match winners, including Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Sam Curran and Adil Rashid. His pace attack could be decisive in home conditions. Jofra Archer, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood and Sam Curran are expected to exploit the movement on offer with the new ball, making India’s fragile top order their primary target.
Pitch Report
The Riverside Ground has traditionally provided a balanced contest between bat and ball, but fast bowlers have often enjoyed the upper hand, particularly during evening matches when swing is available under lights.
The venue has produced an average first innings score of around 138 in T20Is, suggesting that batsmen should spend time at the crease before playing their shots. Teams that win the powerplay battle are likely to gain a significant advantage.
India hold the overall lead in T20Is between the two sides, winning 18 of the 30 matches, while England have registered 12 wins.
In England, however, the rivalry was much more evenly contested, with India only holding a 6-5 lead, which underlines the competition of the contests on English soil.
Teams:
England squad: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (w), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Jordan Cox, James Coles, Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker
Team India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Washington Sundar, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna, Varunvi B.
