Bazball was revolutionary in Test cricket, but only because the bar was too low in the longest format. Being reckless, intently aggressive, and spanking everything out of the park were all somewhat new to the red-ball format. But can it gain the same reputation in the shorter formats, where recklessness is already a norm? This makes Bazball as we know it seem redundant in these formats of the game. The point, however, is; do we really know Bazball?
While England are hoping to show they are as stable in the limited formats as they are in Tests, India need to do an entirely opposite job, which is not to give in to, or at least show they are over, their longest-format woes.
This is India’s first home bilateral series since they lost 3-0 against New Zealand in Tests. The past few months have largely been about Test games for India, having played only 18 white-ball games since July last year. If anything, all this adds to the importance of this series, which is a build-up to the Champions Trophy. Anything going wrong here can trigger a domino effect for India.
Team Overview:
England, earlier, decided to ignore calls to remove Jos Buttler as captain, even after his injury forced him out for weeks. But he seems back in his momentum now. Although McCullum mentioned that Buttler is fit enough to keep the wickets, England have decided to throw the gloves to Phil Salt for now. Salt will open along Ben Duckett, with Buttler coming in at the first fall. Mark Wood and Jofra Archer will lead Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton to form a pace attack that will add to Suryakumar Yadav’s worries. Adil Rashid will share spin duties with Liam Livingstone.
Suryakumar has led India quite decently in T20Is so far and would want to keep India’s unbeaten record in the home T20I series intact. He has some decisions to make for this game apropos to the team combination. Will they like to lean towards spin and include Washington Sundar or Ravi Bishnoi, or want to benefit from Nitish Kumar Reddy’s pace plus all-round finesse? Mohammad Shami is all set to make his comeback after nearly 14 months of no cricket. There is Arshdeep Singh to complement him and India will want to include Varun Chakravarthy as the third pacer. Sanju Samson will open with Abhishek Sharma, and the pair have deservingly earned the spots with their brilliance in T20Is last year.
Head-to-Head Matches:
England and India have pitched against each other in 24 T20I games. Out of these, India were the better side in 13 games while England won eleven.
Weather and Pitch Report:
It’s a night game, and what does that mean? Righto. Plenty of dew to accompany the players. Add to that the fact that Kolkatta has a very batting-friendly pitch on offer. So, a high-scoring affair is a certainty.
Prediction:
England have covered all the bases needed to fire in sub-continent conditions. India, despite the side being very young, are not bare-fisted either. This means a tight, down-the-wire game is on the cards, but England’s experience might help them be the ‘slightly’ better side.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports
UK: TNT Sports
Pakistan: Tapmad
Australia: Kayo
US: Willow TV, Sling TV
