These player battles can headline England-India 1st T20I
What's the story
The highly-anticipated T20I series between India and England will kick off on July 1 at Chester-le-Street. This is one of the most exciting bilateral series of the year, pitting two of world cricket's biggest rivals against each other on English soil. Though the Indian team arrives as reigning champions, they are under pressure after a historic series loss to Ireland just days before this tour. Here we look at the anticipated player battles that can headline the opening T20I.
#1
Abhishek Sharma vs Jofra Archer
One of the most destructive T20 openers going around, Abhishek Sharma can inflict some serious damage in the powerplay overs. Jofra Archer, who made the ball talk in the recent Test series against New Zealand, will challenge him with the new ball. According to ESPNcricinfo, Abhishek has hammered the England speedster for 62 runs off 37 balls while being dismissed twice across eight T20 meetings. The tally includes a strike rate of 167.56.
#2
Jos Buttler vs Arshdeep Singh
As the dynamic Jos Buttler has loved facing India in the past, the visitors would not want the veteran to get going. Arshdeep Singh, India's highest wicket-taker in T20Is, will look to trouble Buttler early on. The England dasher has faced the left-arm pacer across 11 T20 innings so far, scoring 104 runs off just 65 balls. This includes a solitary dismissal.
#3
Shreyas Iyer vs Adil Rashid
India's new T20I skipper, Shreyas Iyer failed to make a mark in Ireland T20Is. However, he has a chance to redeem himself against England. Seasoned leg-spinner Adil Rashid will look to trouble Iyer in the middle overs. The two have not faced each other much in T20s with Iyer scoring a run-a-ball 10 in this battle without being dismissed.