ENG vs IND 1st T20I: 3 player battles to watch out for  

Two days after the conclusion of the rescheduled fifth Test between England and India, the two nations are ready for battle in a three-match T20I series. The first of the three T20Is is set to be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton today (July 7).

After a break of almost four months, Rohit Sharma will return to lead the young Indian unit, who will look to intensify their preparations in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.

England, on the other hand, will embark on a new era after Eoin Morgan announced his retirement last week. Dangerous dasher Jos Buttler will lead the side and will aim to start off his captaincy stint on a winning note.

India have not lost a T20I bilateral series to England since their one-off loss in 2014. However, past records will matter very little for India, who are looking to crack the T20I combination in the lead-up to the World Cup.

For the first T20I, players including Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja won't be available. As a result, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, and Dinesh Karthik will be in the spotlight as they try to secure their spots for when the big names return.

With the first T20I just few hours away from us, we take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the high-octane encounter.

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#1 Deepak Hooda vs Chris Jordan

The centurian from India's last international game, Deepak Hooda, is expected to bat up the order tonight. The talented right-hander has been in terrific form lately, having accumulated 210 runs at an average of 77 in his last three T20 games.

However, Hooda will face a tougher bowling attack tonight as compared to his previous opposition. One bowler who might spice up the contest is right-arm pacer Chris Jordan.

The T20 specialist has a vast experience of bowling crucial overs and the ability to outfox his opposition batters. The globe-trotting bowler is England's highest wicket-taker among pacers since 2020 with 26 wickets at an economy of 8.7.

However, Hooda, who himself has mighty power-hitting skills, will look to make the most of the form he's found.

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#2 Jos Buttler vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The clash that will set the tone of the match will be between England's swashbuckling opener Jos Buttler and India's gun veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

With the ability to turn the game on its head single-handedly, Buttler will hold the key to England's batting exploits. India will hope to get rid of him as soon as possible and one bowler who might give the right-hander a tough time is Bhuvneshwar.

The 'swing king' has a knack for delivering in the powerplay. He recently broke the record for picking the most T20I scalps in the powerplay (34). Bhuvneshwar can take advantage of England's favorable swinging conditions and provide the flying start India might fancy.

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#3 Rohit Sharma vs left-arm pacers

Perhaps India's most decorated T20I player ever, Rohit Sharma, will make his return after recovering from COVID-19. The seasoned opener last played in T20 internationals back in February against Sri Lanka.

With a relatively young squad for the opening T20I, Rohit will look to lead the side from the front. England, on the flip side, will be attacking Rohit with quality left-arm pacers.

Several squads in the past as well have employed the left-arm quicks against the Indian skipper, who has been dismissed once in every four innings he has faced them since 2019.

Talking about left-armers, England pack a punch as they have four different left-armers in their squad, namely David Willey, Sam Curran, Reece Topley and Tymal Mills. Out of the four, the hosts might play at least two of these bowlers and hope that they send Rohit packing early in the innings.