The fourth T20 of the ongoing series between England and India will be played on 31st January at Pune.
Match Preview:
The ongoing series between India and Enlgand is alive and kicking all thanks to England bowlers in the Kolkata game. This series was expected to have high-scoring games but it has been the opposite so far. For India, spinners have thrived and for England the pacers have brought up the desired results.
India have relied on only one front-line pacer, it was Arshdeep Singh in first two games and the comeback of Mohammad Shami in the third T20 of the series. Although India have used Hardik Pandya on and off but it was all-sort of spin options that has brought success for India and England have not really found a way to beat them as of now.
For England, Adil Rashid was stand-out player in the last match but the side has relied on the pacers, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, and Jamie Overton.
For India, the pressure will be on Sanju Samson. The opening batter was on song against South Africa in the same format of the game but has failed to translate his form in the home side against England. The right-handed batsman has scored only 34 runs in the series so far. So if anything, the player will try to make an impact as the series moves into the fourth T20.
For England, the batting department has not lived up to the expectations. The comeback of Jos Buttler is welcoming and Ben Duckett also found himself among runs scoring 51 in the third T20 of the series. But the series has been awful thus far for the players like Phil Salt and Harry Brook.
If England want to set a decider, the batting line-up will have to step up and find an answer to the host’s magical spin option!
Pitch and weather report:
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has an interesting story. Most teams that bat first here tend to win. And the pitch? It’s a spinner’s dream come true! Just ask Mitchell Santner, who took 13 wickets in a Test match here. The spinners really do rule the roost on this pitch.
Playing XI:
India (probable XI): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Washington Sundar/Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
England (probable XI): 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jamie Smith/Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid.
Head-to-head record:
Out of their 27 T20 encounters, India has emerged victorious 15 times, including their most recent meeting in the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Guyana. England has secured wins in the remaining 12 matches.
Prediction:
Given how England secured a win in the third T20 of the series, it will do nothing but boost their confidence and chances of winning in the forthcoming T20 of the series. With Duckett back in form and England pacers moving the ball well, England is favourite to win the next T20 of the series.
Where to watch:
India: Disney-plus Hotstar
England: Sky Sports
Pakistan: Tapmad
Others: Cric HD
