England has announced their playing XI for the first T20I of the five-match series against India, set to begin on Wednesday at Eden Gardens. England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler will play as a specialist batter and Harry Brook named as the vice-captain.
England's squad includes Phil Salt as wicketkeeper and opening batter, along with Ben Duckett. Buttler will bat at three, while Brook is expected to play a key role in the middle order. Jofra Archer’s return strengthens the bowling attack, with Adil Rashid pivotal in the middle overs.
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The full playing XI consists of:
Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook (vc), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
The series will kick off in Kolkata and subsequent matches scheduled in Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai. Following the T20I series, England will play three ODI matches against India.
England’s performance in T20Is has been mixed since their semi-final exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup. They drew a series against Australia and defeated the West Indies in a recent series. India has been in exceptional form, following their unbeaten win in the 2024 World Cup with four consecutive bilateral T20I series victories.
