England v India, T20I: Preview

England will come into the T20I with some confidence after clinching victory in the final ODI. However, they will not be taking India (the No. 1 ranked T20I side in the world) lightly. Both teams are quite evenly matched and given the nature of the format, the difference between the two sides counts for little.

England:

Eoin Morgan is on leadership duty in the absence of Stuart Broad, England's first-choice T20 skipper. The change in leadership is bound to be scrutinised closely given the flak that Alastair Cook copped after their dismal show in the ODIs.

The batting department boasts of quite a few big-hitters and in-form players. The likes of Jason Roy and James Taylor will be relatively unknown entities for India but come in on the back of a series of good scores in domestic cricket.

The biggest challenge for England will be tackling the Indian spinners. In the ODI played at Edgbaston, England were dented early by the pacers and the choke continued against the spinners. Knowing MS Dhoni's penchant to control the game with spin, England will be working hard on their plans to counter it.

The bowling unit will miss the experience and leadership of Stuart Broad but the youngsters will be looking to make a mark with the opportunity. They will have to step-up to the tall ask of containing a batting line-up stocked with stroke-makers.

India:

MS Dhoni's men have regained their mojo in coloured clothing and will have their tails up after the series win. There has been an evident change in their approach and attitude to the limited overs game. Addition of new personnel has rubbed off confidence and the team bears the look of being hungry for more. They will want to finish a long tour on a winning note.

Shikhar Dhawan returns to the ground that got him his only fifty-plus score of the tour so far and India will be relying on the opener to give them a quick start. Ajinkya Rahane is capable of playing a solid role but the loss of form of Virat Kohli is a cause of concern. The batsman himself is yet to score more than 40 after 14 innings on tour and will be keen to do a lot better.

The team combination remains a mystery with the likes of Sanju Samson, Karn Sharma yet to play a part on the tour. Dhoni is likely to go ahead with the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja. Unless an injury forces him out, Samson too is likely to figure only on the bench.

Stats and trivia:

• England have won only 1 of their previous five T20I outings while India have lost only 1 in the same amount of games.

Quotes:

It was a huge boost. We had not competed in the first three games weve played against India. We can take a lot of confidence from that - Eoin Morgan on the win in the final ODI.