India's predicted playing XI for first T20I v England
An ominous start to the Test series counted for little, as India trampled England 3-1 to bruise the visitors' confidence en route to the ICC World Test Championship final. Though England are condemned to watch India play the coveted final on their own turf, they have a much stronger chance of being worthy competitors in the upcoming five-match T20I rubber.
England's prioritisation of the shortest format means that once the lambasting of their Test rotation policy is done, they can revel in a full-strength squad for the T20I series. The hosts, too, unearthed a number of future stars via the Indian Premier League (IPL), and have a problem of plenty in the batting department in particular. Both sides will use this as a fine-tuning exercise for the T20 World Cup, to be held later this year in similar conditions.
India have been set back by the potential absence of T Natarajan, who went from being a net bowler to an all-format hero during India's tour of Australia. Varun Chakravarthy misses a potential India debut once again, due to fitness reasons. Despite these setbacks, there are several players who will be looking to impress on return to the team. Here is a look at India's predicted playing XI.
Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan
India should look no further than their trusted ICC tournament duo, who has consistently given the team strong starts in the shorter formats. Rohit Sharma enters the first game high on confidence, having dominated the Test series on difficult batting wickets. Shikhar Dhawan turned a minor rough patch around to score back-to-back hundreds in the IPL, and scored more than 500 runs overall.
What about KL Rahul? The third-ranked T20 player in the world is far too good to miss out in this format. However, the solid show by the experienced duo pushes Rahul into the middle order, with the Karnataka lad being the obvious injury or form replacement for either of Rohit or Shikhar.
Middle order: Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk)
Virat Kohli has a point to prove, after a wretched run of form for India. Though he did put together some crucial contributions during the Test series, he was dismissed twice without scoring, and has now endured over a year without a century in any format. Although his place in any format is hardly under question, given his game-changing ability and captaincy record, one can expect Kohli to play with heightened intent.
India's batting riches in this format might just enable the skipper to play freely. At No. 4, KL Rahul will be expected to switch gears as the situation demands. He showcased his ability to bat through the innings during the IPL, and India could use more of the same. India's incumbent in this position, Shreyas Iyer, failed to impress against Australia and hence misses out. India will resist the temptation to hand Suryakumar Yadav a debut, although they will be keen to test him later in the series.
The man of the moment, Rishabh Pant has stormed his way back into contention after a brief omission from the shortest format. The swashbuckling left-hander also provides the left-handed variation in the middle order that puts pressure on opposing captains. Oozing with confidence after his Test heroics, Pant should return to the form that first set the IPL on fire.