India enter the series as the favourites, maintaining an unbeaten record in bilateral T20I series since their T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last year. The team’s confidence stems from their impressive track record, having won five out of seven recent T20 encounters against England. However, the current squad features only five players from the World Cup-winning team, following the T20 retirement of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
The emergence of talented players such as Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma has effectively filled the void. Opening batsman Sanju Samson, who notched three centuries in his previous five T20I innings, aims to prove his worth after being left out of the CT squad. But eyes will firmly be on the much-awaited comeback of Mohammed Shami, who India want fit and roaring for the Champions Trophy in February-March.
