World champions India host England in a five-match T20 series as they begin preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026 with one eye on the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
India’s winning streak in the shortest format of the game has seen them wrap up every bilateral T20 series since August 2023 and captain Suryakumar Yadav will look to build on his new-look team’s success before their co-hosted T20 World Cup in February 2026.
The hosts have hinted at taking a “flexible” approach in the upcoming series, with newly appointed vice-captain Axar Patel saying his team will be open to the idea of experimenting with a floating batting line-up.
“The openers are fixed, but everyone from numbers three to seven have been told that they can come into bat anytime, in any situation,” Patel said in his pre-series comments on Monday.
“Our middle order will come to bat depending on the match situation, what kind of bowlers are bowling at the time, which match-up works well. We have spoken about how we can all be floaters.”
Patel said India are aware of the short gap between the two T20 World Cups and they want to carry their winning streak to the next edition.
“Momentum is a big thing because if you start well, you can carry it. We finished 2024 well so we want to carry the momentum into this series too.
“But we’ve discussed that the past is past; however, we want to move ahead with the positives we gained from there. We have taken forward the points that brought us success.”
Meanwhile, England’s form in the T20 format has taken a dip since their appearance in the semifinal of the last World Cup in June.
Jos Buttler’s side will hope the presence of young all-rounder Jacob Bethell, as well as wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will provide an extra punch to their batting line-up.
The series marks England’s first limited-overs tour under Brendon McCullum, previously in charge only of the Test side.
“I’m desperate for us to play a really watchable brand of cricket,” McCullum told reporters. “With the talent we have, there’s no reason we can’t.”
McCullum said Buttler, who will only play as a batter and not keep wicket on the tour, will leave a lasting legacy as England’s white-ball leader.
“He’s in a really good space, he’s excited about the team we’ve got, and excited about the opportunity that sits in front of us,” the former New Zealand skipper said.
Here’s all you need to know about the upcoming T20 series:
What’s the full match schedule of the India vs England T20 series?
- First T20: Wednesday, January 22 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Second T20: Saturday, January 25 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Third T20: Tuesday, January 28 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – SCA Stadium, Rajkot
- Fourth T20: Friday, January 31 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MCA Stadium, Pune
- Fifth T20: Sunday, February 2 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India vs England: T20 head-to-head record
India’s first T20 international encounter against England came at the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, in 2007, when power hitter Yuvraj Singh dispatched Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.
The contests between both sides have been closely matched, with India winning 13 of their 24 matches in the shortest format, including the last one at the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Guyana.
England have beaten India in the remaining 11 T20 games.
Form guide: India
The world champions go into the series on the back of a 3-1 away win in South Africa and a 3-0 trouncing of Bangladesh at home. India have not lost a T20 series since August 2023.
Last five games (Most recent result first): W-W-L-W-W
Form guide: England
England won their last bilateral T20 series, against West Indies, but ended the T20 World Cup with a thumping semifinal loss against the eventual champions.
England’s last T20 win over India came at the T20 World Cup in 2022 and Buttler’s side will look to emulate their triumphant form that saw them clinch the title in Australia.
Last five games: W-W-W-L-NR (no result)
Team news: India
Wicketkeeper and opening batter Sanju Samson has cemented his place in India’s T20 line-up after his powerful performances during the series against South Africa.
This series will see seasoned pace bowler Mohammad Shami make his return after a long injury layoff, while all-rounder Washington Sunder will also return after the Test tour of Australia.
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper)
Team news: England
England’s T20 squad has been settled over the last few series but the two-time champions will look to give an extended run to the likes of Bethell, Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith before the ODI series and the Champions Trophy.
Squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wicketkeeper), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
How to follow and stream India vs England?
Al Jazeera will provide full photo and text coverage of the T20 series, including pre-match build-up, full commentary stream and post-match talking points.
How can I buy tickets for the India vs England T20 matches?
Tickets for the series are being sold at several online platforms.
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