🏏England tour of India 2025: 1st T20I: 22/01/25 at 7:00 PM IST🏏

🏏England tour of India 2025: 1st T20I: Eden gardens Kolkata - On 22/01/25 at 7:00 PM IST🏏

Familiarity breeds success. England are keen to familiarise themselves with their revamped squad under the guidance of now all-formats coach Brendon McCullum. Meanwhile, India, well-versed in the demands of the T20 format, have redefined their approach, yielding impressive results. Both Phil Salt and McCullum understand what it takes to perform at Eden Gardens, as does skipper Jos Buttler, whose last outing on this ground saw him score a match-winning century for the Rajasthan Royals.

Varun CV doesn't have to familiarise himself bowling here, nor does Mohammed Shami or the rest of the Indian bowling unit. Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh are familiar with Eden Gardens, having delivered heroic performances at various moments, alongside other Indian batters who are equally attuned to the synergy and intensity required at this iconic venue.

The expectations are clear. High-scoring games have become standard in T20 cricket, and Eden Gardens is no exception. During the previous edition of the Indian Premier League, the 200-run mark was crossed eight times at this venue, including a record-breaking chase by the Punjab Kings, who overhauled the Kolkata Knight Riders' massive total of 261.

At the international level, India has been piling up massive scores, surpassing the 200-run mark seven times since the T20 World Cup - more than any other team. During this period, India's collective batting strike rate of 158.28 ranks as the second-highest among full-member sides, with England following at 151.66. Both teams excel at scoring big, and the message from their management will be just that: "Smash". And for the Eden crowd, familiarity = entertainment.

IND vs ENG: Eden Gardens Pitch Report:

Eden Gardens is well-known for its batting-friendly pitches, often crafted from black cotton soil. This soil type aids in maintaining consistent bounce, creating favourable conditions for the batters. Fast bowlers can extract swing in the initial overs, while spinners find consistent assistance throughout the game.

Weather Forecast:

Good news for the fans as there is negligible chances of rainfall during the India vs England 1st T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. There is only 1-4% chances of rainfall during the time of the game at the Eden Gardens and hence it is likely that there will be no interruptions during the match. Humidity is going to be around and 63-73% and hence there is chances that dew can arrive later in the evening and help the chasing team.

When: Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 PM IST

Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

What to expect: The average first-innings total during IPL 2024 was 198 at Eden Gardens and four out of seven matches were won by chasing sides. Win the toss and bowl will be the obvious option for the captains, especially considering the dew factor. However, teams batting first have also won three out of four times in T20Is played at Eden Gardens since 2021.

Teams watch:

India: The focus will be on Mohammed Shami, with skipper Suryakumar confident of the veteran pacer delivering. The rest of the line-up is a tried and tested one, in what has been a smooth transition for the Indian team since their T20 World Cup triumph.

Tactics & Match-ups: Shami has dismissed Buttler thrice in 11 T20 innings and could prove useful when the England captain walks out to bat at No.3. Axar Patel and Varun CV have also dismissed Buttler twice each. Harry Brook has been out to leg spin three times in six innings in T20Is since 2023, which brings Ravi Bishnoi into play. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh could prove productive against Ben Duckett, who has fallen to left-arm pace twice in three innings in T20Is since 2023.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Shami

England: Buttler confirmed that Ben Duckett will open with Phil Salt, with the latter also set to keep wickets. England announced their playing XI a day before the match, with Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood being the exclusions.

Tactics & Match-ups: Adil Rashid has dismissed left-handed batters 10 times in 22 T20Is since 2023, with an economy rate of 6.89, while Archer has bagged scalps of left-handed batters eight times in 16 innings, with an ER of 7.38. Both these bowlers could prove effective against the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Rashid could also prove useful against Hardik Pandya, who has a strike rate of 108.45 against leg spin since 2023. Meanwhile, Bethell could be useful in containing Suryakumar, who has an SR of 103.89 against left-arm spin, and also Pandya (SR of 82.45).

Playing XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Did you know?

- Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav have scored a combined 4304 runs in T20 cricket since 2024, with 9 centuries and 26 fifties collectively, with a combined strike rate of 167.53

- Among full-member teams, Arshdeep Singh is the highest wicket-taker among pacers in T20Is since 2024, with his 36 wickets coming in 18 innings at a strike rate of 10.8

- In IPL 2024, spinners had an economy rate of 8.73 at Eden Gardens whereas the pacers had an economy of 11.2

- Bowling in the powerplay has been an area of concern for England. Since January 2024, England have had an economy rate of 9.14 in the 1-6 over period, which is the highest among full-member teams. They have also picked up only 27 wickets in this phase, which is the second least.

What they said:

"It's always a good challenge playing against them. They have been good in almost all the formats. Even when they play T20, they have always been aggressive. And we also have a similar kind of batting order, so it will be a good challenge against them. And from the bowling point of view, we have a few plans. We have also discussed with them (bowlers), what kind of cricket they play, where they can feel a little discomfort. So all these things, we have been planning. We have been good, it's very relaxed" - Suryakumar Yadav, India captain.

"It's a really exciting tour coming to India with what I'd say is a full line-up for us. Sometimes there's so much cricket that certain players have to be rested or managed, but that's certainly not the case for us at all in this series. So we've got a full complement of players, which is really exciting" - Jos Buttler, England captain.

In the spotlight: Bethell and Shami

Very few youngsters right now have the aura of Jacob Bethell. He made blistering international debuts in all three formats at the back end of 2024. He has had a stint with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, and has an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru without playing a single game in India. The left-hand batter has developed a reputation of smacking spinners for fun, is a handy left-arm spinner himself, and is considered an electric fielder in the ring and on the boundary line. Could there be a more perfect T20 cricketer in this era? Slotted in at No. 6 for the first T20I against India, Bethell's stocks have never been higher. England see him as one of their future superstars. Now all he has to do is ace the India challenge.

On the other hand, Mohammed Shami, at age 34, is making an international comeback after an ankle surgery and a knee niggle. He hasn't played international cricket since India's loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and despite India trying other fast bowlers in the interim, there's a feeling that Shami remains India's second-best seamer behind Jasprit Bumrah. India have gambled by selecting him for next month's Champions Trophy, and the focus in the T20Is and ODIs against England will be on how his body holds up. It's also the perfect way for him to come back, at his domestic-cricket home ground.

Pitch and conditions: Dew and runs aplenty

Kolkata is going to offer a hard deck with true bounce. The boundaries are small, and the ball in January will get wet very quickly. That means Eden Gardens should be a paradise for batting. Suryakumar and Buttler both felt conditions would be the same irrespective of the toss result, so expect a belter with dew around.

Stats and trivia: Arshdeep closes in on Chahal

Among Full Members, England have the second-worst batting average against fingerspin since the start of 2024: 26.8. Against top sides like Australia, South Africa and India, it drops to 13.88 at a run rate of only 6.74.

With 95 wickets in 60 T20Is, Arshdeep is only one wicket behind Yuzvendra Chahal, who leads the pack for India in the format. If Arshdeep gets to the landmark of 100 wickets in this five-match series, he'll become the fastest bowler to get there in T20Is. Currently, Haris Rauf is the quickest T20I bowler to the landmark of 100 wickets, having achieved it in 71 games. Also, since Arshdeep's T20I debut, no bowler has taken more wickets in the powerplay (40) or in the last five overs (46).

India have not lost a bilateral T20I series at home in the last six years. Their last defeat was against Australia in February 2019. In the 16 series since, India have won 14 and drawn two.

Since the T20 World Cup 2024, India have scored at 9.2 runs per over in the powerplay, an astonishing 10.3 from overs 7-15 and 10.9 in the last five overs. In this period, no team has had a better run rate between overs 7-15 or a better ball-per-boundary ratio (4.7).

Archer has the wood over both Suryakumar and Hardik, with both batters striking at only 116 against him while averaging 14.5 and 19 runs, respectively.

IND vs ENG: Head-to-Head Record in T20Is

Matches played: 24

India won: 13

England won: 11

No result: 0

T20 Stats and Records at Eden Gardens

Total matches: 12

Matches won batting first: 5

Matches won bowling first: 7

Average 1st innings scores: 155

Average 2nd innings scores: 137

Highest total recorded: 201/5 (20 Ov) by Pakistan vs Bangladesh

Lowest total recorded: 70/10 (15.4 Ov) by Bangladesh vs New Zealand

Highest score chased: 162/4 (18.5 Ov) by India vs West Indies

Lowest score defended: 186/5 (20 Ov) by India vs West Indies