 India take on England in the one-off T20I of the tour at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The game will begin at 2000 hours local time, which is also 1430 hours GMT.
India will go into the game with a lot of confidence. They have had an excellent
ODI series against England and would have done much to wipe off the pains of losing
the ODIs back in England. Of course, what will also add context to the game is
that England are currently not only the number one team in the Tests but also
the number one in this shortest format of the game - T20Is.
Click for Live Score Card of India Vs England
This will mean that India, who are currently ranked fifth in the rankings
will need to get going with some wins under their belt in this format to rise
up to the top spot.
For starters, India will be looking to beat England to move up to the second spot
behind Sri Lanka, which will also push England to the number three position.
On the other hand, in recent times, India has not done too well in this format
of the game, having lost both, in the 2009 and the 2010 editions of the World
T20 in the Super Six stage. England, on the other hand, are defending champions
when it comes to the World T20I having beaten Australia in the final and have
turned into a good team in that format.
What will be interesting to see is whether England can turn things around in conditions
which do not support either their batting or their bowling. The top order has
been wary against the slow bowlers and that has probably been the reason why the
side has generally struggled to get going in the ODIs.
On the other hand, the English spinners have not done as well as would have been
expected out of them and that makes things interesting for the game.
India will have a similar side to the one that played in the ODIs, but they
have also named Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan in the squad. It
will be interesting to see whether the side decides to replace Ravindra Jadeja
with Pathan or play them both and whether Parthiv Patel will make way for Uthappa
at the top of the order. Rahane should continue to open the innings.
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