India lock horns against England in the first of three T20I’s on Wednesday, 22nd January at 7:00 PM IST. The match is slated to be played at the Iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Ahead of this humdinger of a contest check out our IND vs ENG 1st T20I match prediction, tips, top players preview, pitch report, toss prediction and match winner prediction.
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India
The host nation India will once again be back in action after a long gap of two months, where last played against South Africa and thrashed them 3-1 and before that decimated the Bangladesh team 2-0 at home. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India have now won three back to back T20I series in 2024 and will look to build on the momentum for the year 2025. With Axar Patel being appointed as the vice captain of side, you can expect the left hander to get lot more opportunities with both bat & ball.
While the much awaited return of Mohammad Shami boosts the bowling lineup of India, the onus will be on Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana to take wickets with the new ball against an aggressive England opening pair. The batting lineup of India looks well settled, with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma at the top of the order. In the middle and lower middle order the team;s think tank might either pick Rinku Singh or Washington Sundar (if the conditions favour spinners).
India Probable Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (VC), Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi.
England
England lead by Jos Butler haven’t had the most pleasing of year’s in White ball cricket in 2024. But they ended the year with a dominating 3-1 series win over West Indies. England is more off in transition phase where they have their eyes set on grooming Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed and Jamie Smith. While their top order looks ever threatening with Phil Salt and Butler opening the innings. Liam Livingstone is the only experienced batter in the middle order with other young players in the lineup.
Jofra Archer on his return from injury picked up 17 wickets in 14 matches in 2024, to his aid will be another speedster Mark Wood who can consistently clock around 145-150 KMPH on a good to fullish length and can knock most of the batters. Saqib Mahmood since his comeback to T20I squad has picked up 11 wickets in 6 matches. He has been England’s go to man in the death overs off late.
England Probable Playing XI: Jos Butler (C & wk), Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.
IND vs ENG Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 24 |
| India Won | 13 |
| England Won | 11 |
IND vs ENG 1st T20I Win Probability
India enter the contest as favourites and their chances of winning the 1st T20I is 58%, while England’s chance of winning is 42%. The odds offered by prominent bookmakers in favour of India to win the match is 1.63, while in favour of England is 2.28.
Eden Gardens Kolkata, Pitch Report
The pitch at Eden Gardens offers a balanced track that favours both the batters & bowlers, where spinners will have a crucial role to play in the middle overs. While batters will fancy their chances of making most of the new ball, as the outfield is one of the fastest in India. The results in T20I matches have been completely different from the ones of IPL and the average 1st innings score is 156 runs.
| Pitch Type | Balanced |
| Average 1st innings score | 156 runs |
| Weather Report | 27°C, Clear Skies |
IND vs ENG 1st T20I Toss Prediction
Teams bowling first have won 6 of the 11 T20I matches played at Eden Gardens, while the team batting first won 5 matches. No dew is expected, but the conditions in most cases becomes much better for batting as the game progresses and we predict the team that wins the toss will opt to bowl first.
INDIA vs ENGLAND Toss Prediction – England to Win
IND vs ENG 1st T20I Tips
| Bet Type | Tip | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Match Winner | India | 1.63 |
| Top Batsman (IND) | Tilak Varma | 4.85 |
| Top Batsman (ENG) | Harry Brook | 5.40 |
| Top Bowler (IND) | Arshdeep Singh | 3.90 |
| Top Bowler (ENG) | Mark Wood | 4.00 |
IND vs ENG 1st T20I Match Prediction
India have been dominant at home and away series in 2024, the team looks well balanced with mix of youth and experience. While England’s middle order and spin attack looks weak, which could well decide the outcome of this match. We are backing the home team to pull this of and start the series on a winning note.
Disclaimer – The match prediction tips provided are based on expert analysis, available data, and personal opinions. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, we cannot guarantee the outcomes of the events.
