India are the World T20 champions but did recently lose a series to Ireland. I am backing them to bounce back against an England side that is facing plenty of turmoil at present.
Key Stats - Superb India to Dominate Opener
- England’s Harry Brook has scored 56, 24, 58, 58 & 21 in his last 6 innings.
- England’s Jos Buttler has scored 57, 57* & 29 in his last 6 knocks.
- England’s Adil Rashid has taken 2/13, 2/28 & 2/41 in his last 4 matches.
- India’s Tilak Varma has scored 59, 67, 136* & 55 in his last 5 innings.
- India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has scored 44, 21, 38 & 94 in his last 4 knocks.
- India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit 72 sixes in 16 innings in the 2026 IPL.
- India’s Prince Yadav has taken 2/56, 1/38 & 3/22 in his last 3 matches.
India Hold Comfortable Lead
India lead 4-1 in their last five T20I matches against England.
England Lacking T20 Exposure
England’s last T20I was their World Cup semi-final defeat to India at the start of March. Their Test side has just lost back-to-back Tests against New Zealand.
England’s batting lineup has plenty of power. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler are set to open, with Harry Brook likely at three. Jacob Bethell brings middle-order depth after consistent domestic T20 form, while recalled Tom Banton adds another explosive option with a T20 strike rate of 144. England also have several all-round choices in Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and uncapped James Coles.
The bowling attack looks like England’s biggest strength. Jofra Archer is fully fit and offers pace and death-over quality, while Adil Rashid remains a major threat with 15 wickets in his last 10 T20Is. Saqib Mahmood returns to add new-ball control, with Josh Tongue and Luke Wood providing further pace options and Rehan Ahmed adding another leg-spin option.
India Reeling after Ireland Defeat
India lost their two-match series to Ireland a few days ago 2-0, with the 1st T20I seeing them lose by 34 runs, followed by the 2nd T20I which they lost by 1 run.
India put in a better stint with the ball in the 2nd T20I, restricting them to 154/8 off their 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh (2/35), Prince Yadav (3/22) and Shivam Dube (2/25) starred with the ball.
India’s opener both fell to first-ball ducks as they collapsed to 35/4. Tilak Varma (55 off 46) did his best to keep the chase on track with support from Shivam Dube (20 off 16) and Harshit Rana (21 off 10), only to fall one run short of Ireland’s target.
England vs India 1st T20 Predicted Lineups & Team news
The Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street should offer the bowlers some joy, especially with the new ball, so the top three batters will need to bring a touch of caution to the opening overs. Plenty of runs in the pitch once the new ball shines, especially for the side batting second on the early moisture in the pitch has evaporated.
England (possible XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson/Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
India squad (possible XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Suryansh Shedge, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav.