England vs India Live സ്കോര്‍, 1st T20I of India tour of England, 2026

England (Playing XI) - Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, and Saqib Mahmood.

India (Playing XI) - Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

The skipper of England - Harry Brook says that they would have bowled first if they had won the toss, so it's not a bad toss to lose. On the mood in camp and adapting to the T20 format, Brook says the atmosphere is really positive and the group is excited to get going against a strong Indian side. He adds it is good to be back with the lads, and notes that switching between formats quickly is simply part of the job as a cricketer. On the wealth of experience in the squad, Brook says it is a great resource to have, particularly mid-game when he can lean on the likes of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran for input and guidance. On the team combination, Brook confirms Buttler and Phil Salt will open, with himself coming in at three, Jacob Bethell at four, Banton at five, Curran at six, Jacks at seven, Dawson at eight, and Rashid, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood rounding out the lower order at nine, ten and eleven.

The captain of India - Shreyas Iyer says this is a great opportunity for them and this is the second series for him as the captain, so he is very excited. Shares that they had a session of practice to acclimatise yesterday. When asked about the mood in the dressing room, he keeps it simple, saying it's fine. He adds that the Ireland series is history now, firmly in the rearview. On the pitch, Iyer notes there's a decent amount of grass on the wicket, though he's unwilling to predict how it will behave through the game. What he does promise is intent, high intent from his batters regardless of conditions. About the team combination, he informs that they are going with three spinners, including Axar as the all-rounder and a couple of seamers.

TOSS - Toss time in Durham. Harry Brook and Shreyas Iyer are out there in the middle. Iyer calls correctly. India will BAT first.

The road to the future - Given that there is an ODI World Cup to be played next year and the T20 World Cup just concluded a few months ago, but given that the T20 World Cup is played every two years, there is always a plan to set up a side that will be playing. Not just the T20 World Cup, but there's the Olympics as well in 2028 and this series will give both teams a good gauge of what tweaks they have to make in order to put their best foot forward. Also, it is the first time India will be playing a T20I game at this venue, and it should be an exciting watch. Stay tuned for the toss and team news.

England's favorite format - England, playing in front of a home crowd under the leadership of Harry Brook, will look to capitalize on India's shaky momentum right from the first ball. The seam-friendly conditions typical of Chester-le-Street, especially under potentially overcast skies, will provide a stern test for the Indian top order. Having rested Jofra Archer for the first couple of games, it will be interesting to see how their pace attack performs.

When will the new era begin? For India, this series opener serves as an immediate and crucial opportunity for redemption following a shocking 0-2 series defeat against Ireland. Led by Shreyas Iyer, the visitors are under immense pressure to adapt quickly to English conditions and prove that their recent stumble was merely a glitch in the matrix rather than a sign of systemic vulnerability in their shortest-format setup. Also, the elephant in the room, which is whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets a debut or not, remains the question on everyone's mind and we shall find that out soon enough.

The Three Lions vs Men in Blue - Hello, and a warm welcome to one and all to our coverage. The highly anticipated five-match T20I series between England and India kicks off at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, marking the beginning of an intense white-ball tour. England move from a tough Test series against New Zealand to the white-ball formats, whereas India come into this clash on the back of an unexpected demolition by the hands of Ireland.

... MATCH DAY ...

Back at it - The dust has barely settled on England's Test series defeat to New Zealand, but such is the modern cricket calendar that there is little time to dwell on setbacks. Reflection is important, but so is making the transition and treating each format separately. For England, the focus now shifts to white-ball cricket as India arrive for a five-match T20I series followed by three ODIs. India, too, have a setback of their own to put behind them after being humbled by Ireland in a 2-0 T20I series sweep. It all gets underway in Chester-le-Street, with Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton hosting the remaining four T20Is. Fresh start - This will be England's first T20I assignment since their semifinal exit at the World Cup, where they fell to India despite Jacob Bethell's heroics. The squad is not too different from the one that featured at the tournament, with Harry Brook continuing at the helm. Following the backing of the now-retired Ben Stokes, Brook is also viewed by many as a leading candidate to succeed him as England's next Test captain. Top order in focus - Jos Buttler endured a World Cup to forget, managing just 87 runs in 8 innings, but he rediscovered his touch in the IPL, scoring 526 runs in 17 innings for the Gujarat Titans as they finished runners-up. England will hope he carries that form into the international season. His opening partner, Phil Salt, had his involvement in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's successful IPL campaign cut short by a finger injury but is now fit and raring to go. England's batting depth is further strengthened by Tom Banton and Jordan Cox, both of whom can contribute with the bat and behind the stumps. New blood in the squad - James Coles has earned his maiden international call-up. The left-arm spin bowling all-rounder has been knocking on the door with consistent performances in county and franchise cricket, and his rise was underlined when the 21-year-old became the most expensive signing at this year's Hundred auction. Strength in depth - England are blessed with several all-rounders capable of contributing in both disciplines, with Sam Curran providing the seam-bowling option. Adil Rashid will once again spearhead the spin department, with the likes of Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed and Liam Dawson can contribute with both bat and ball. Pace options galore - Following his ODI debut last year and Test debut during the recently concluded New Zealand series, Sonny Baker is in line for a T20I debut. Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Josh Tongue and Luke Wood bring plenty of experience to the pace attack, but with Tongue having featured in all three Tests and Archer in two, workload management could come into play. That may well open the door for Baker to make his T20I bow in the series opener. India search for answers - It has been an inauspicious start to the Shreyas Iyer era. A 2-0 defeat in Ireland was not the beginning they would have envisioned, but England offers the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button. The bowling unit held its own in Ireland, but it was India's much-vaunted batting that failed to fire on slower surfaces. The conditions in England are expected to be far truer for batting, something the visitors will welcome with open arms. The same squad that travelled to Ireland has made the trip to England, although Varun Chakaravarthy is expected to join the group subject to fitness clearance. His return would add further depth to a spin department that boasts Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Batters must deliver - Much of the build-up to the Ireland series centred around the possibility of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi making his international debut, but the team management opted for continuity and stuck with the top three that had brought success at the World Cup. With five T20Is to play, it remains to be seen whether India continue with that formula or use the series to experiment with their batting combination. Pace with responsibility - In the absence of Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and even Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh is the most experienced seamer in the squad. Prince Yadav impressed on debut, while Harshit Rana looked sharp on his return from injury. India will also hope for a stronger showing from Prasidh Krishna as the pace attack looks to be more consistent against an England batting line-up brimming with firepower. Team form (Last 5 completed T20Is, recent first) - ENG - LWWWW | IND - LLWWW. What do the numbers say? India have enjoyed the upper hand over England in T20Is, winning 18 of the 30 meetings between the two sides. England, though, have held a slight edge at home, leading 5-4 in T20Is played in England. Recent history, however, has firmly belonged to India, who have won each of the last five bilateral T20I series between the two teams since 2017. Conditions in focus - 4 Vitality Blast Men's matches have been played at Chester-le-Street this season, with three won by the chasing side. The average first-innings score of just 143 suggests batting has not been easy here in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how that stacks up against two teams who pride themselves on an aggressive, no-holds-barred approach with the bat. Who are you backing to take the lead in the series?