India will lock horns against England in the first T20I of the five-game series on Tuesday, June 1 at the Riverside Ground in Durham, England. Ahead of the first game in Durham, the Three Lions have announced their playing XI with two big changes in the side.
England have made two big changes in their Playing Xi from the side that faced defeat against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final bringing in Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood. Mahmood replaces Jamie Overton, while Mahmood replaces Jofra Archer, who has been rested along with Josh tongue after featuring in the recent Test against New Zealand.
Harry Brook will lead the English side after guding the side to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. Notably Brook have emerged as the top contender to lead the Three Lions in the Test cricket as well after Stokes' retirement from International cricket.
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his international debut against England in first T20I?
Ahead of the first T20I against the Three Lions, newly appointed Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer has opened up on the 15-year-old opener, saying he can not let everyone know the team combination before the game, as it will help the opposition while appreciating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's potential to shine in the international circuit.
"See, you never know what’s going to happen. My hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we’re going to do, because this is very private. This is something we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know what combination we’re going to play and let the opponents know what’s going to happen. So definitely he’s a brilliant prodigy, and whenever he gets an opportunity to play, he’ll do brilliantly," said Iyer on Tuesday.
Big challenge for Shreyas Iyer
The T20I assignment against England is going to be a big challenge for Iyer, as he has not got off to a great start as a captain in the T20I format, losing the two-game series against Ireland is a fresh blow for him. It will be interesting to see if he can lead the side to the first series win under his leadership, the star PBKS captain will look to contribute with the bat as well.
England's playing XI for first T20I against India:
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid and Luke Wood