1st T20I: India elect to field against England in Kolkata
What's the story
Following a grueling Test season, India and England are set to lock horns in the five-match T20I series. The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosts the series opener tonight. Suryakumar Yadav is back as India's T20I captain, while Jos Buttler is charged up to lead England. The news from the center is that India have won the toss and elected to field first.
Playing XIs
No Mohammed Shami for India
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wicket-keeper), Jos Buttler (captain), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood. India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Details
Venue, pitch, and streaming details
The pitch at the Eden Gardens is known for its lively nature. Pacers garner swing early on, and the wicket aids spinners throughout the match. Notably, 198 was the average score batting first here in IPL 2024. The Star Sports Network will broadcast the match live, while live-streaming is available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match begins at 7:00pm IST.
Record
A look at head-to-head record
In their last T20I meeting, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side crushed England, in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final. However, England had earlier defeated India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final by 10 wickets. Overall, India have a slender lead over England in T20I encounters (13-11). On Indian soil, the hosts have six wins and five defeats against the Brits.
Venue stats
Eden Gardens: Notable T20I stats
The highest team total at Eden Gardens in a T20I match was set by Pakistan, who scored 201/5 against Bangladesh in 2016. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's 70 against New Zealand in 2016 remains the lowest team total. Notably, India hold the record for posting the highest-ever run-chase at this venue in T20I history. They chased down 158 against the West Indies in 2022.