The big picture: more opportunities, more challenges for India?
India finally broke the glass on their boyish wonder, but Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s foray into the international arena ultimately proved disappointing. Not that there was little to be excited about on his 10-ball debut – but India did not capitalize on the fast start provided by Suoryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma with the bat; then paid for poor planning with the ball as Ravi Bishnoi’s fancy run-up ran into trouble (and Jacob Bethell). The Durham defeat aside, India have now lost three completed T20Is in a row for the first time since 2021 – when the second-row side suffered a surprise defeat in Sri Lanka and then lost their first two T20 World Cup games. The defeat in Ireland could have been blamed on the conditions (and, again, planning) but on more realistic grounds in England, India were expected to flex their IPL muscles. It probably doesn’t help that the management is trying to shape the team for 2028 under a new leader, Shreyas Iyer, after the ruthless (but pragmatic) removal of the T20 World Cup-winning captain, while also managing such a competitive stable of players that man of the tournament, Sanju Samson, is out of the squad after three low scores. T20 is a fickle game, but after Ireland’s run of 12 straight wins ended, defeat in Nottingham would put the game out of their reach with two more to play.
For England, victory in Manchester means they can return to Trent Bridge a week after Ben Stokes’ retirement drama with a little less baggage weighing them down. The loss of the Test series and their captain at home to New Zealand has left the ECB in a difficult position with both results and public opinion moving in the wrong direction. Bethell’s brilliant performance to give them a 1-0 lead won’t absolve all sins, but competing on a level playing field with India (while boosting the coffers) could mean cricket could be out of the picture again while the World Cup is underway. Which is considered a victory at this point.
India NLLVV (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
England VLVVV
Spotlight: Jos Buttler and Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Less than a year ago, England’s opening pair put on 126 in 7.5 overs at Old Trafford, setting a record total of 304 for 2. If Buttler In that series against South Africa he was promoted from third place again, but soon convinced England that he should stay there along with Phil Salt. However, since then this race has faded away, and even doubts have arisen as to whether he will continue to compete after the World Championships. The weekend duck means Buttler has only missed once in his last 16 T20I innings. Vaibhav Suoryavanshi. Not that you’d know it from the way he came out to Old Trafford to kick the ball. In his short stay, he has added Rajasthan Royals teammate Jofra Archer to the long list of bowlers whose first ball he hit for a six, and there is every reason to expect that he will sooner or later carry over his stunning batting form from the IPL to Indian colours.
Team news: England unchanged
England confirmed more than 24 hours in advance that they would remain with the same squad.
England 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Harry Brooke (capt), 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Josh Tang
Shreyas was hit on the hand while batting in the previous T20I, but that did not stop him from taking the field to chase. Bishnoi’s seat may be in jeopardy as Prince Yadav will get a chance to make it into the XI.
India (probably) 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Prince Yadav/Suryansh Shedge/Washington Sundar, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
Field and Conditions: Is the sun shining and the batters making hay?
Trent Bridge used to be a haven for T20 ball, with its flat pitches and short shots to the boundary – especially from the Bridgeford Road side. However, bowlers have had a little more in recent years, with the batting average for first place in the Blast this season being around 165. Another heat wave is expected across the UK, but Nottingham won’t be too hot on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast at 25C in the late afternoon.
Quotes
“It gave me a lot of confidence. I want to be a prolific bowler in any format, be it Test, T20 or 50-over.”
Josh Tong says that success in last year’s Hundred became a springboard for his general-format ambitions