R Ashwin’s prediction on India vs England T20I series: ‘Skyball vs Bazball will be entertaining’ | Cricket News

R Ashwin believes the upcoming England series will be a true test for Suryakumar Yadav-led India, who have dominated Bangladesh and South Africa in recent T20I series. The India vs England T20I series will kick-start from Wednesday at the Eden Gardens.
“Bangladesh was a weak team, while South Africa fielded a second-string pace attack, although their batting was excellent,” Ashwin said on “Ash Ki Baat.”
“We played against Bangladesh, but they are no match for India. I think that series was a mismatch. I think that series should not be considered a true reflection of our strength.”
Hyderabad: India’s Washington Sundar celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan during the third and final T20 International cricket match between India and Bangladesh at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.
“Against South Africa, they also rested many of their key players. They rested their bowlers for the Test series, and our batters capitalized scoring big totals,” he added.
Entertaining Series
Ashwin anticipates an entertaining series against England, given the venues and both teams’ aggressive batting approaches.
“This new era of fearless cricket India will be tested against a high-quality England side. This series will be a proper test of our abilities.”
England cricketers during a practice session ahead of the first T20 match against India, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (PTI)
“Bazball vs Skyball will be an exciting spectacle. This series will also test India’s T20I depth.”
“All the venues are batting-friendly, with small boundaries and high-scoring grounds.”
“Both teams are packed with powerful hitters, and it promises to be an entertaining series for fans who enjoy aggressive batting.”
New T20I era
Ashwin also highlighted the evolution of the T20I format in recent years.
“This T20I era is all about flexibility,” he said.
“Three or four years ago, batters were reluctant to play out of their usual positions, but bowlers now vary their bowling strategies throughout the 20 overs.”
India’s playing XI
Ashwin predicted a likely playing XI for India in the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens and discussed the challenges Indian batters will face.
Sanju Samson can breathe easy as his captain Suryakumar has backed him to continue manning the gloves behind the stumps as well as open the batting against England. (BCCI)
“Sanju Samson has been exceptional as an opener. Tilak Verma also excelled in South Africa. 1 It will be interesting to see if Surya, Tilak, and Sanju can maintain their high strike rates against the strong English attack,” he said.
“The playing XI is fairly straightforward. There might be a toss-up between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, but at Eden, with dew likely to play a significant role, India might opt for Nitish.”
Ashwin’s India XI: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami

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