England won the last one day international in a series that they lost so badly and so would be heaving a huge sigh of relief as we move on to the very last match of the English cricket season this summer. It’s been a summer of mixed results for Alastair Cook and his men, they have been in great pressure, been the target of extraordinary media attacks by the English press, and yet have seen great joy. The win against India in the Investec Test series would give them a great high, while they would have wanted to do better in the one day series that followed.
England can approach the only Twenty20 match to be played between the two countries with a fresh mind though. Many new players would be joining the team and they would be playing in front of a raucous Edgbaston crowd that would make playing the match a joy for the players.
India love Edgbaston too. They have an excellent record here, having won 5 of the 8 ODIs played, and enjoy such a massive crowd support that it would surely remind them of the Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai or the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. They also won the ODI match played here during the tour and it was a massive win. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men have made somewhat for the humiliating loss in the Test series with their brilliant performance in the one dayers, and they would now want to return home on a high.
There are 5 players in the Indian squad who are yet to make their T20 debut – Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ambati Rayudu, Sanju Samson and Karn Sharma – but it is unlikely that any of them apart from Rayudu would be playing today’s match. England have a specialist T20 squad, with many players who are nowhere in the ODI team. The idea is to try out new faces, find out who does well and rises to the occasion and then try them out for the longer one day internationals.
Some of the new players brought in by England are Jason Roy – who has spectacularly well for Surrey, and a veteran player – Ravi Bopara. Bopara has a lot to prove and so does Eoin Morgan, who’s had a terrible ODI series. Morgan would be the captain for this match for England, replacing Alastair Cook, who England’s selectors have never considered for Twenty20s. Steve Finn would love to get another shot at the Indians after impressing one and all with his pace and control in the last match.
A win here at Edgbaston is crucial for both teams, and neither would be taking this match lightly. As England’s T20 captain Morgan said: “It’s obviously a huge opportunity for these guys coming in, given whoever plays to put a statement out there. If they go and get a 50-ball hundred, certainly throws their name within the vicinity of the squad.”
England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Steven Finn/Chris Jordan, 11 Harry Gurney
India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav/Dhawal Kulkarni
Weather and Pitch:
For a change, the weather seems to be excellent and we are in for a great day of cricket. The pitch at Edgbaston is a belter, and attacking batsmen from both sides would love it. The match begins at 6:00 PM and may be seen live on Star Sports in India.
