India vs England, 1st T20I: Preview, probable XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report

The action shifts to the shortest format of the game as India take on England in a five-match T20I series starting Friday, March 12. All five T20Is will be played at the same Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

India won the recently-concluded Test series by a margin of 3-1 and secured qualification for the finals of the World Test Championship.

Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tewatia and Varun Chakravarthy have all received call-ups to India's T20I squad, although the latter two are unlikely to feature due to fitness issues. Left-arm seamer T Natarajan is also likely to miss out on this series due to a shoulder injury.

England will field a full-strength side for the limited-overs fixtures after some extensive rotation during the Test series that received mixed opinions from players and pundits.

Eoin Morgan will lead the side that sees the likes of Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Dawid Malan return. Both these teams have had great success in white-ball cricket in recent times, and this should be one cracker of a series.

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Match details

Date: March 12, 2021 (Friday).

Time: 07:00 PM (IST), 01:30 PM (GMT).

Venue: Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad.

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Weather Report

It should be hot in Ahmedabad on the day of the match with an expected temperature of around 35 degrees Celsius. No rain interruptions are expected during the match.

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Pitch Report

The wicket at Ahmedabad should be good to bat on, while also offering some assistance to the spinners. With not much dew expected, captains should bat first after winning the toss.

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Predicted XIs

India

KL Rahul is an integral part of India's white-ball setup.

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma should open the batting for India, despite Shikhar Dhawan's return.

Rahul's proficiency in white-ball cricket has been overlooked on occasions, and it's imperative to note that he is India's highest-ranked T20I batsman in the ICC Rankings.

Rishabh Pant's tremendous performances over the last couple of months are likely to earn him a recall into the playing XI, and he should don the gloves.

Hardik Pandya should be the team's third pacer alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar and one of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar.

Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal should be the three spinners for India on a wicket that has offered some turn.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur/ Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

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England

Dawid Malan(L) and Jos Buttler(R) will be key to England's success.

England should field a strong side for the first T20I against India. Jos Buttler and Jason Roy should open the batting, with No.1-ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan set to bat at No. 3.

Jonny Bairstow's poor run in the Test series might see Sam Billings take his place in the side.

Sam Curran, Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer should be the side's main pacers, with Ben Stokes offering an additional option. Adil Rashid is the spin bowling option, with Moeen Ali and pacer Tom Curran set to battle it out for the remaining spot.

England: Jos Buttler(WK), Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow/ Sam Billings, Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan(C), Sam Curran, Tom Curran/ Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid.

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Match prediction

Despite their losses in Test matches, England could capitalize on the inexperience in India's bowling attack to start the limited-overs leg of this tour with a win.

Prediction: England to win.

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TV and live streaming details

TV: Star Sports Network.

Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.