2nd T20I: India eye dominance against England at Old Trafford
What's the story
India and England will clash in the second T20I of their five-match series at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday. The first match was abandoned due to rain. India had posted a competitive total of 189/7 in the first innings, thanks to half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer. England's chase could not get underway due to rain. Here we look at the preview of the second game.
Match conditions
Pitch report, conditions, and weather forecast
The pitch at Old Trafford is expected to favor fast bowlers with seam and swing during the powerplay. As the match progresses, spinners are likely to come into play. Batters who spend time on the crease can score heavily while new batters may find it difficult to hit boundaries straight away. The weather forecast for Friday predicts cool and cloudy conditions with a chance of light rain showers. The match, which will get underway at 7:00pm IST, will be broadcast live on Sony Sports channels and streamed on SonyLIV.
Team strategy
England may bring in Jofra Archer for Luke Wood
Saqib Mahmood was the standout bowler for England, taking three wickets. However, Luke Wood's expensive performance could see him replaced by Jofra Archer in the second T20I. It remains to be seen if England will continue with their strategy of playing three spinners, including all-rounder Will Jacks. For India, the likes of Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson would like to deliver after faltering in the opener.
H2H
A look at head-to-head record
Coming to the head-to-head record between these two sides in T20Is, India have a significant lead over England (18-12). Notably, the Indian team has won six of its last seven concluded T20Is against the Brits. This includes a narrow seven-run win in the 2026 T20 WC semi-final. On England soil, the hosts have five wins and four defeats against the Indian side.
XIs
Predicted XIs of India and England
England Predicted XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood/Jofra Archer. India Predicted XI: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Abhishek Sharma has recorded three 48-plus scores in his last four T20I outings - all while striking at 200-plus. With 131 scalps at 19.58, Arshdeep Singh is India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is. Jos Buttler was on a roll in IPL 2026, scoring 526 runs with a strike rate of 152.46. Adil Rashid owns the joint-third-most wickets in T20I history (164 at 23.34).
Poll
