‘It’s going to be a bat-vs-bat contest’- Aakash Chopra on India vs England T20I series

Former Indian batter opener-turned-commentator, Aakash Chopra, expressed his thoughts on the game and the overall series. According to him, the series will probably be a run-fest with lots of boundaries and anticipated major hits all along the way.

On January 22, India will play England in the first  of a five-match series at Kolkata’s famed Eden Gardens. The match will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Men in Blue defeated the Three Lions in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.

The hosts, who have made some changes to the side that toured South Africa in November 2024, will be captained by Suryakumar Yadav. Notably, the return of bowler Mohammed Shami after a 14-month hiatus is one of the most major talking topics. Jos Buttler, the captain of England, will, however, give up his responsibilities as a wicketkeeper and concentrate only on leading his team.

“Let’s prepare for the run-fest. Because a lot of runs will be made. See, it’s a T20 format. In many places, there might be a role of dew because it’s still cold in many places, you might see dew in the evening. It’s possible that the team that will chase later will feel a little easier to chase because in T20’s it happens anyway. But If dew comes, then it’s becomes even easier. So, from east to west, I think, batting will be at its best. It’ll be fun. There’ll be a lot of beating for the bowlers,” Chopra told Star Sports Game Plan.

Many runs ought to occur: Aakash Chopra

The former referred to it as a heavyweight match and highlighted the strength of both teams’ batting lineups. He believes that while India consists some of the most destructive batters in world cricket, England has a similarly explosive batting unit.

“It’s going to be a bat-vs-bat contest. Because batting is a heavy weight on both sides. If we look at the clash, it’s not a light-weight clash. It’s a heavy-weight clash, in which, if you hit a six, the other team can hit two. And it’s possible that if the pitch is right, both innings will be equal. The tempo can be set with the first match, and the other team will also look at it from the same perspective,” he stated.

Jos Buttler and Phil Salt of England will try to exploit the conditions, while Indian hitters Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma will try to set the pace. According to Chopra’s analysis, if dew contributes to the ball’s ease of hitting, both teams may end the game with high scores.

“You’re also playing elevens. You’re also worried about batting. That’s why you play two or three proper bowlers; the rest are all-rounders. So, when both teams play the same type of cricket, almost a similar brand of cricket, then there should be a good clash. In my opinion, there should be a lot of runs,” Chopra concluded.