England v India First T20 Tips: Back hosts to dominate in ideal conditions

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Wednesday 1 July, 17:30
TV: Sky Sports

England v India first T20 third Test team news

England make the rapid transition from red-ball to white on Wednesday in their first T20 of the series against India.

Although different formats, it is hard not to wonder if the four crossover players will feel chastened by their 2-1 loss to New Zealand in the Test series. Captain Harry Brook, who embarrassed himself again in the second innings, faces a stern test of leadership.

If England can find out a lot about Brook's mettle, they also have the opportunity to try out new talent. Surely it is time for Rehan Ahmed to get a run ahead of Adil Rashid for example? At some stage they're going to have to plan for life without Rashid. Others hoping to stake a claim include Jordan Cox, James Coles and Sonny Baker.

It wouldn't be in the least bit surprising, however, if the line-up has a samey feel. There are established players who still promise fireworks, chiefly Jacob Bethell who impressed in the World Cup.

Possible XI: Buttler, Salt, Bethell, Brook, Jacks, S Curran, Rehan, Archer, L Wood, Tongue, Saqib

India suffered a truly stunning 2-0 reverse against Ireland. It was a seismic set of results which largely went unnoticed because of the chaos surrounding England. It's worth repeating: it was an extremely strong India team.

There have been changes. Suryakumar Yadav has been replaced as captain by Shreyas Iyer and axed from the squad. Vaibhav Sooryvanshi, the teen sensation, is included but India resisted the temptation to give him an easier first taste of international cricket in Ireland.

Jasprit Bumrah is not touring but there's nowt wrong with pace options from Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav and Prasidh Krishna. Varun Chakravarthy is likely to be the chief spinner with Axar Patel or Washington Sundar playing as the spin all-rounders. Shivam Dube could be used in a floating role as a spin hitter.

Possible XI: Abhishek, Samson, Ishan, Shreyas, Tilak, Sundar, Dube, Harshit, Prince, Arshdeep

England v India first T20 pitch report

There have been 20 day-night matches at the Riverside in the last five years, all of them domestic. Nineteen have produced results (including one tie) and there is a slight bias for the team batting first, who have won 11. The RPO in those games is 8.3.

The last T20i played there was last summer with England beating West Indies batting first. It was a night game. England posted 188 and then set about the Windies with spin. Seven wickets fell to tweak.

The overheads are likely to dictate whether seam or swing holds sway, though. At this stage, it doesn't look as though the weather will play ball. There's more than a 50% chance of rain for the first two hours so there is a strong chance we see overs reduced.

If conditions are damp and dank, unders plays could well be the option on runs. Taking on India's batters, who were awful in Belfast, makes sense as they may not be able to hit through the line with abandon if conditions hold.

The ball could well be darting about which will make for an alien experience. The runs line on the Betfair Sportsbook for the match is 185.5. An unders play would also keep onside an England struggle.

England v India first T20 match prediction

The last time these sides met was in the World Cup semi-final in Mumbai. It was a bit of a classic. At the break England looked as though they had been blown away by India who piled on 253.

But a brilliant Bethell innings kept England in the hunt, only for Bumrah to close out the game in metronomic fashion. An entirely different contest is expected here.

If India think they're going to get a repeat sort of surface they're likely to be mistaken. And there's a lot to be said for England being able to manipulate home conditions to their advantage. It should be a contest where that greater experience pays dividends, even in a reduced match. Seam it, swing it. It's back to basics, old-school English cricket. Jofra Archer and Sam Curran should lead the way.

But what do the odds say?They disagree which is good news. England are the outsiders on the Betfair Exchange at 2.0811/10. That seems like a decent wager.

There will be a time for bettors to play India but this is not it. There will be flatter wickets to come where the tourists can leverage that power batting.

England v India first T20 player bets

It will be terrific to see Sooryavanshi make his debut for India. His detractors will be delighted if it comes at a sodden Riverside. The refrain with Sooryavanshi has always been the same: let's see if he can do it when the ball is moving sideways on a green top. We might just find out.

On known, flat wickets, Sooryavanshi is a player to be with. This could be the time to get against him. Sportsbook are likely to offer his runs at the 24.5 mark in-play.

If we do get a reduced-overs contest, openers are probably the wisest choice for top bat bets. Phil Salt may have appeal given Jos Buttler seems to have slipped into an inconsistent spell. He is 11/82.38 to score 30 and 7/24.50 for top bat.

For top bowlers, Arshdeep Singh catches the eye. Swinging conditions should mean he is dangerous with the new ball while cheap wickets are available at the death. Spinners may not be involved for their full quota if conditions are wet. Sportsbook go 3/14.00.

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