Preview: India vs England, 1st T20I
First Published : 19 Dec 2012, 14:38
Last Modified : 19 Dec 2012, 15:43
What
First Twenty20 International between India and England
When
December 20, 2012
Where
MCA Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune will host its first international match. After making its first-class debut in 2011, the stadium played home venue for the Pune Warriors India in IPL 2012.
The Teams
After the 1-2 defeat in the Test series, India will seek victory against their staunch opponents in the shortest format. The hosts will hope the infusion of some young blood will help lift the morale of the dressing room and elevate the team’s on-field performance. With originally selected Manoj Tiwary, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar injured, Ambati Rayudu and Abhimanyu Mithun have found a place in the team. While this doesn’t affect the strength of the batting department to any extent, the pace bowling attack looks highly inexperienced. Ashok Dinda will lead the attack that comprises uncapped Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Parvinder Awana. In the batting line-up, Ajinkya Rahane, Rayudu and Rohit Sharma will compete for a place.
With Stuart Broad back home due to an injury, Eoin Morgan will lead England for the first time. And on his captaincy debut he has at his disposal a squad that has half its members under the age of 25. With England trying to manage the workload of their key players, most men who contributed in their first Test series win in India since 28 years have been rested for the two T20Is.
Key Players
India will need Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni to man the top, middle and lower-orders respectively. Batsmen, on the whole, will have to take the onus of giving the inexperienced bowling attack a sufficient cushion of runs to play with. MS Dhoni’s faith in the part-timers, especially in the shorter formats, will bring the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja in the picture often.
England will need Morgan’s attacking instincts and the amusing array of shots in his armoury as much as his proactive attitude as captain in the fast-paced T20 format. It will also be a challenge for the rookie skipper to get the best out of his young bowlers. Tim Bresnan will have a crucial role to play in leading this attack.
Trivia
- MS Dhoni would be playing his 130th Twenty20 match as a captain. No other player has led a team in more than 75 matches.
- This will be the sixth Twenty20 International on Indian soil - all 6 games have been held at different venues! Mumbai Brabourne, Nagpur, Mohali, Kolkata, Chennai, and now, Pune have hosted one match apiece.
Venue Stats
India-England in Twenty20 Internationals
|
Mts |
Ind |
Eng |
NR |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
|
in India |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Form guide (most recent listed first)
India : Won, Won, Lost, Won, Won (4 wins, 1 loss)
England: Lost, Won, Lost, Lost, Won (2 wins, 3 losses)
The Squads
India: M.S. Dhoni (capt/wk), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Parvinder Awana, Abhimanyu Mithun
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Johnny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, James Harris, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Luke Wright
