It’s T20 time after 30 days of Test Cricket

After humiliating 2-1 test series loss, India will now move onto play two T20 International matches against England on 20th and 22nd December in Pune and Mumbai respectively. With the Indian team yet to recover from a home series loss for the first time since 2004, the England players celebrated this win like anything. They have registered a series win on the Indian soil after 28 years, an historic win indeed. This series loss also claiming to be MS Dhoni’s first Test Series loss at home as Indian skipper!

The first T20 International between these two teams will be played tomorrow at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune. The last time these two teams faced each other in a T20 International match was during the recently concluded T20 World Cup in which the former T20 Champions suffered a huge 90 run loss, which happened to be India’s biggest victory margin in terms of runs in any T20 International! Both the teams have played 5 T20I matches till date. The England team have an upper hand towards India in T20I’s as they have manage to beat thrice while both the T20I wins for India against England have come in the World Cup’s, one in 2007 T20 World Cup where Yuvraj Singh scored 6 sixes in an over and another in this year’s T20WC.

Injury worries will affect both the teams especially India as three players so far have been ruled out of the 2 T20’s. Earlier L Balaji was injured and Vinay Kumar was announced as his replacement, yesterday Vinay Kumar too was injured and will be out of action for two weeks, who now will be replaced by Abhimanyu Mithun. Adding to this, Manoj Tiwary will be out of the squad as well due to a serious back injury, gaining Ambati Rayudu a place in the squad. For England, their T20 skipper Stuart Broad who is in UK now has been ruled out of both the T20 matches. Eoin Morgan will captain the side in Broad’s absence. With England’s T20 star performer Kevin Peitersen and India’s deadliest T20 player Virender Sehwag not named in the squad, Can England continue their good show in T20’s against India? Or Will India seek revenge for their huge test series loss by sweeping the Airtel T20 International series. Let’s wait and watch!

Tags: Abhimanyu Mithun, Ambati Rayudu, Cricket, England, India, Pune, Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, T20, T20 International, T20I