IND vs ENG: India travel to Nottingham with Sanju Samson & Tilak Varma questions and untested bowling

Shreyas Iyer has yet to win a match as India’s T20I captain. After the underwhelming Ireland series, the Men in Blue were closer to their best in the opening game of the England series in Durham. Uncertain about the surface, India opted to bat first. Abhishek Sharma smashed a 20-ball fifty and put the visitors in the right spot.

Other than Abhishek, only Shivam Dube looked like himself. He finished the innings unbeaten on 42 (21). Shreyas became the first Indian captain to register a half-century in England in T20Is but didn’t look anywhere near his best. Still, the visitors managed to score 189 despite a constant drizzle.

Bowling to be tested

The match was called off after the first innings due to rain. We didn’t learn anything about the bowling, with Ravi Bishnoi getting his first game after warming the bench in Ireland. In the two matches in Belfast, India were great with the new ball but struggled afterwards.

Harshit Rana looked impeccable upon his return to cricket, but he’ll be tested against England. Shivam Dube bowled well against Ireland, but the English batters won’t let him off the hook easily. Varun Chakaravarthy hasn’t played since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season due to a leg injury, and he was smashed to bits in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Going into Nottingham for the India vs England 2nd T20I, we’ll find out how big a miss Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya will be. Whether Prince Yadav will be able to emerge as a back-up or even make a case as an immediate starter. Is picking Bishnoi over Kuldeep Yadav the right call?

Sanju Samson & Tilak Varma in focus

But all wasn’t well in the batting department. Sanju Samson registered a third consecutive low score. After the game, his technical flaws were highlighted as well. The management’s insistence on playing Tilak Varma in the middle order despite his poor returns against spin was head-scratching.

Will Tilak be moved lower down the order at Trent Bridge? Will his entry point be managed to ensure Axar Patel and Shivam Dube face spinners and he plays more against the pacers? Will the management back Samson, and if they do, will he repay that faith shown?

Predicted India’s Playing XI vs England 2nd T20I

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi

Bench: Washington Sundar, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Suryansh Shedge

England vs India T20I series schedule

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