India will host England for five T20Is before preparations for the Champions Trophy kick into gear with a format switch to 50-overs. Here's Wisden's pick of the betting odds for the first T20I of the series.
IND v ENG first T20I: Who will win?
Both sides are in the early stages of regeneration processes with their T20I side. Several of India's senior T20 stars announced their retirements following their World Cup win last year, while England let go of white-ball coach Matthew Mott after they lost to India in the semi-finals of the tournament. This series in India will be the first under the eyes of Brendon McCullum, who took over from Mott late last year, annexing the role with his job as Test head coach.
England have lost eight out of 11 T20Is played against India in India since 2011. Their squad for this series features Jos Buttler back as captain after fully recovering from a knee injury which kept him out for most of the second half of 2024, as well as several of their multi-format stars. Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse will join Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse in the pace attack, while Mark Wood will also make a return after he was injured during England's home summer last year. Ben Duckett also joins the squad after missing England's last white-ball tour in the West Indies, with Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith also set to feature.
India's squad includes Mohammed Shami, who is set to play international cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup. He has spent over a year on the sidelines after an ankle injury required surgery last year, before persistent knee issues delayed his return to the international stage. Sanju Samson is also in the squad after a prolific 2024 in the T20I format, along with Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh.
India will be the favourites to win the match on home soil, and they are backed at a 1.75 return on every pound betted with Batery. However, a successful bet on England to win would give a 2.1 return on every pound betted with Batery.
IND v ENG first ODI: Which team will have the top batter?
Samson has been the highest run-scorer in T20Is for India over the last 12 months. He's scored 436 runs at an average of 43.60 in 13 innings - including three centuries. He's backed at 7/2 by Betfair to score the most runs in the series.
However, the safest bets to be the top scorers are on Suryakumar Yadav and Buttler, who both have odds of 11/4 with Betfair. Yadav has scored 429 runs in 18 matches over the last 12 months. Buttler has 462 from 15 matches over the last year, at an average of 42.00. He scored 83 off 58 balls against West Indies in November, helping England to claim a 3-1 win in the five match series.
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