Current T20 World Cup winners India are set to begin their five-match series in the shortest format of the game on Wednesday. Shreyas Iyer and his team will take on the hosts in a pulsating contest that is set to be played at Chester-le-Street’s Riverside Ground in Durham.

Ahead of this tour, the team was in Ireland, where they suffered a historic series loss. Many former players called out the team for their lacklustre showing and also for underestimating their opponents. Coach Gautam Gambhir also faced fire for not playing young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the previous series.

Questions will be asked about Sanju Samson’s place in the team after the 31-year-old managed to score just five runs in the two games.

Just a few months ago, the batter was the toast of the nation for his 321 runs with the bat. Fielding will also be in focus as the team dropped a few key chances and were shabby at various times in the Ireland series.

IND vs ENG: Here’s India’s likely playing XI for the first T20I vs England

Opening batters – Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma

Ryan Ten Doeschate said the management wanted to show faith in Samson, which means the CSK star will be playing the first T20I game on Wednesday.

The other opening batter will be Abhishek Sharma as the duo will look to stamp their authority against the English side.

Sanju has played six games vs England, scoring 140 runs with one fifty and has a strike-rate of 164. Abhishek, on the other hand, has scored 288 runs against England with one ton and a fifty with a strike rate of 214.

Number three – Ishan Kishan

The 27-year-old had a quiet series with the bat against the Irish, but will be keen to bounce back into form. Ishan Kishan has played four games against the English, scoring 107 runs with just one fifty and has a strike-rate of 155. The Sunrisers Hyderabad star will enjoy the conditions in this part of the world, with the pitches likely to be good for batting.

Middle-Order – Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma

The captain and vice-captain duo will be expected to act as the anchors of the team.

Shreyas Iyer had scores of 3 and 10 in his last two games, but the 31-year-old is a classy batter and is just one knock away from regaining his best form. Tilak Varma, on the other hand, batted well to score 55 and will be keen to continue in the same vein of form.

All-rounders – Shivam Dube and Axar Patel

Two players who had played a key part in India’s title win earlier this year have endured a quiet time since then. Shivam Dube found batting difficult in the Ireland series but managed to pick up some key wickets with the ball. Axar Patel will be expected to deliver not just with the ball but also with the bat as the visiting side looks to get back to winning ways. The 32-year-old doesn’t have a good record against the English, scoring a mere 73 runs and taking just ten wickets from 10 games.

Fast bowlers – Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Prince Yadav

Visitors will go in with a three-pronged pace attack with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana taking the new ball. Both players were impressive in the last series and put the batters under pressure with the new ball. Prince Yadav picked three wickets in his debut game and managed to impress everyone. The right-arm seamer also bowled with good speed and was a real threat in the death overs.

Spinner – Ravi Bishnoi

Considering the heat seen in England, one can expect the pitch to break up as the game progresses. Ravi Bishnoi can be the trump card for Team India as the hosts don’t play leg-spin bowling particularly well. The 25-year-old former World number 1 T20I bowler has played six games versus England and claimed seven wickets so far.

India’s likely XI vs England

Sanju Samson, Abhishek SharmaIshan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi