After a disappointing run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India is gearing up for a fresh challenge, hoping for a stronger performance this time. The series will feature five T20 matches followed by three ODIs. On January 11, BCCI announced the T20I squad, confirming Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Axar Patel as vice-captain. The series kicks off on January 22 in Kolkata and concludes on February 12 in Ahmedabad. Viewers will be able to stream matches on Disney+ hotstar and can buy match tickets on District app by Zomato

With expectations rising and stakes getting higher BCCI made an interesting selection of players;

T20i squad- Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk)

ODI squad- yet to be announced

Under Suryakumar’s captaincy, India has won 14 out of 17 T20i matches, losing only three. With SKY’s impressive track record, Axar Patel makes his international vice-captaincy debut. Axar played a vital role in the T20 World Cup final with his stellar all-round performance.

Bumrah delivered an astounding performance in the World Test Championship until a backspasm left both the team and the country downhearted. Bumrah being absent from this series due to back spasms, fans found a glimmer of hope as Shami returns after almost an year. With Shami, Arshdeep, and Varun expected to lead the bowling department, it seems to be in good hands.

As Gambhir faces criticism for recent poor results and questions about his coaching style, this series becomes even more crucial. With Monty Panesar suggesting a change in coach, fans are speculating that VVS Laxman might join to co-lead the team.

India holds a 6:5 win ratio against England in both ODIs and T20Is, adding drama and excitement to the series. England captain Jos Buttler, with a strike rate of 147, has led the team to 34 wins out of the 70 matches he has captained.

India has requested an extension to announce the ODI squad, and according to vice-president Rajeev Shukla, a meeting will be held on January 18 or 19 to finalize the decision. Fans are speculating a tough choice between India’s two most beloved stars—Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Gill ranks 3rd on the ICC rankings for best ODI batters, Jaiswal is currently in stellar form, as seen recently in the World Test Championship cycle.

As fans hope for redemption from past disappointments, it will be fascinating to see India and England compete in the shortest format of the game—a forte for both teams.