England embark on a new era in white ball cricket as Brendon McCullum takes the reins at the start of the T20 series against India

Already coach of England’s Test team, McCullum has assumed duties in the shorter format and will hope to form a winning partnership with captain Jos Buttler, who retained his role despite a difficult World T20 last year.

They take on the reigning champions in this format as the two sides begin their preparations in earnest for the Champions Trophy, which begins in a month’s time.

The 50-over event, returning to the calendar for the first time since 2017, will be hosted in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, after India refused to travel to their neighbours for the tournament.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is India vs England?

The first T20I between India and England is due to begin at 1.30pm GMT on Wednesday 22 January at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the action live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 1pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via discovery+.

Team news

In the absence of a number of their Test stars, India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. They are boosted by the return of Mohammed Shami, who has looked quick while building up his fitness domestically, while vice-captain Axar Patel has hinted that the batting order will be flexible with significant versatility in the squad.

England named their XI on match eve, with captain Jos Buttler again relinquishing the gloves and sliding down to number three. Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton join Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in a pace-packed seam attack with Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell supporting Adil Rashid as spin options.

Predicted line-ups

India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.

England XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.

Odds

India win 8/11

England win 27/20

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