Team India will host England for five T20Is this year. While the first game will happen on 12th March, the final encounter is scheduled for 20th March. All the games would be held at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. As part of this assignment, both the nations would also be involved in four Tests and three ODIs.
The five T20Is would be very crucial for Team India. It is in this series that the management would get a good chance to finalize the squad heading into the World Cup. The management can also perform a few experiments before the momentum-defining games start coming up. Of course, a few new players would get a chance in this series, and here are five of them who deserve it.
1. Suryakumar Yadav
It would be a riot if SKY does not feature in the squad for this series. Especially considering that both Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer did not nail down their spots in Australia, selectors would surely hinge towards SKY for the upcoming series. Surya is any way in good form and merits a chance. Despite being an uncapped cricketer, the player was one of the best batsmen in IPL 2020. He displayed a wide array of shots and exhibited unorthodoxy that could work very well in the T20 format. Therefore, we feel he deserves a chance in the upcoming series.
2. Ishan Kishan
Now, the time has probably arrived where Team India must start hunting for Shikhar Dhawan’s long-term replacement. A left-handed opener is a must, and we see only Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal tick the boxes at the moment. Of the duo, Kishan is better suited for a spot in the Indian Team. He is fearless and can keep wickets, thereby helping the balance of the XI. Kishan is also a good timer of the ball, the proof of which was his show in IPL 2020. With Team India likely to keep Pant out of the limited-overs’ squad for a while, it might be a good idea to give Kishan an opportunity.
3. Varun CV
If not for an unfortunate injury, Varun CV would have already been an India cricketer by now. Nevertheless, a few more months and Varun can still become one. The Tamil Nadu player was one of the gains for the Indian Team from IPL 2020. He showed the maturity of bowling at the highest level and proved that there is more to his bowling than just mystery. Varun also displayed his knack for picking wickets. At the moment, only Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal are the confirmed spinners in the T20 squad. If Varun does well, he can surely compete with the RCB duo for the spot in the playing XI.
4. Kartik Tyagi
With Mohammed Shami unlikely to be risked for the T20 series, Team India could get a chance to try out a new pacer for the tournament. Although he is still young, Kartik Tyagi deserves a go at the highest level at this age. However, the journey will be a difficult one. He has to displace one of Navdeep Saini or Shardul Thakur to land a place in the T20 team. That said, keeping the future in mind, the selectors might yet favor Kartik for the upcoming series. They must do that so that Kartik does not stray away due to not being in the scheme of things.
5. Rahul Tewatia
Now, apart from Ravindra Jadeja, there is not one genuine all-rounder in the Indian Team. Hardik Pandya is not bowling, and Washington Sundar is yet to prove his skills with the bat. Therefore, a guy like Rahul Tewatia might be a useful option to try in the India England T20I series. Tewatia was one of the stars of IPL 2020. His batting set the tournament on fire, and with the ball, he was more than useful for his franchise. The player’s attitude on the pitch also impressed many. Hence, he must get his chance at the earliest.
