India vs England 1st T20I, All you need to know: After a gruelling red-ball season, Team India is all set to return to the fast-packed T20I action with the five-match series against England. The partnership between Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav helped India to move ahead in the transition period last year after the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. The young brigade has played a fearless brand of cricket against the likes of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa to strengthen their stature as the T20 World Champions.
Under Surya’s leadership, the team has thrived, with emerging talents like Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy making significant strides alongside established players such as Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya. Gambhir would want them to produce another fine show in the upcoming T20I series.
The series opener will be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where it is expected to be a high-scoring clash with due coming to play, especially during the second innings. Dew is a perennial concern at this time of the year at Eden Gardens. Since dew makes it difficult to grip the ball, India might field only two spinners in the XI.
Players to watch out
Mohammed Shami – The Indian pacer will be making his comeback to the Indian cricketer after more than a year. The 34-year-old recovered from the injury and proved his match fitness to the Indian selectors by playing domestic cricket for Bengal and now his aim will be to impress the new coaching staff ahead of the Champions Trophy. He is expected to start in the Playing XI for the first T20I.
Jacob Bethel – The promising 21-year-old impressed in the ODI series against the West Indies last year will look to shine. The youngster was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 auction and the mega fanbase of the franchise will be eager to watch him closely perform on the Indian soil. Bethell has averaged 57.66 and struck at 167.96 in his seven T20I appearances.
India’s Predicted XI for 1st T20I
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (VC), Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
England’s XI for 1st T20I
Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook (vc), Phil Salt (wk), Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood.
India vs England Head to Head
India and England have played against each other in 24 T20Is where the Men in Blue had an edge over with 13 wins. The last time when the two times met in a T20I affair, India emerged victorious in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final.
When and Where to Watch India vs England 1st T20I
When will the 1st T20I between India and England be played?
The 1st T20I between India and England will be played on January 22, 2025. The match will begin at 7 PM IST.
Where will the 1st T20I between India and England be played?
The 1st T20I between India and England will be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Which channels will broadcast the 1st T20I between India and England?
The 1st T20I between India and England will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network. Star Sports 1 (HD & SD), Star Sports 1 Hindi (HD & SD), Star Sports 1 Tamil (HD & SD), Star Sports 1 Telugu (HD & SD), and Star Sports 1 Kannada (SD) will broadcast the first game of the five-match series.
Where will the live streaming for the 1st T20I between India and England be available?
The 1st T20I between India and England will be streamed live on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
