India will be taking a 1-0 lead heading into the Chennai T20I against England after dominating the visitors in Kolkata. In what was expected to be a high-scoring thriller, the hosts quickly exerted their dominance over England and outclassed them with bat and ball and with their exceptional fielding. When the toss was made at the Eden Gardens many were not expecting such a dominant win for the hosts.
India went with just one frontline pacer in their side in the form of Arshdeep Singh, who was supported by Hardik Pandya from the other end. The hosts opted to rest Mohammed Shami a bit more, despite Arshdeep stating that the pacer is raring to go in the series. However, the team selection was quickly vindicated by the performance on the field, as Varun Charavarthy and the spinners were able to bamboozle England at the Eden Gardens, before Abhishek Sharma added the finishing touches.
Now the action shifts to the iconic Chepauk stadium as eyes will once again be on the combination the hosts will go for and if India have Shami back in the lineup for the first time in 14 months.
IND vs ENG 2nd T20I: India predicted XI
The main talking point is the fitness of Shami, and it seems like the pacer did have time in the nets. But Shami did have heavy strapping on both his legs and it did seem that the pacer was lacking his usual rhythm with the ball. The Chepauk is known to be a track that assists spinners more than the pacers and seems like the waiting game for Shami could continue on Saturday.
India will be expected to retain Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and the in-form Varun Chakaravarthy for the clash. If Shami does come back into the team, it could be at the expense of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was sensational on the field.
India received a big jolt on the eve of the match as Abhishek Sharma suffered an injury scare as he twisted his knee and had to receive medical treatment. The opener, who was in sensational form in the first T20I, faces a race against time to be fit in time for the match on Saturday.
If Abhishek does miss out, India could bring in Dhruv Jurel or Washington Sundar into the lineup. There could also be a chance that one of Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma could open the batting for the hosts.
India predicted playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma/Dhruv Jurel, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
England announced their playing XI for the match on January 24 as they made one change by bringing in Brydon Carse in place of Gus Atkinson. The visitors have also added Jamie Smith as the 12th man to the squad with doubts over Jacob Bethell’s availability.
England playing XI:
Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Butler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
