India, England head to Manchester with questions still unanswered

One game into the five-match series, we're no closer to knowing how India and England stack up in these conditions.

The opening fixture at Chester-le-Street saw India post 189 before persistent rain washed out the contest. It also robbed us of the night's most intriguing subplot: whether India's decision to field three spinners on a grassy surface in overcast conditions was inspired or misguided.

"While we were batting, what I was slightly concerned and nervous about was the fact with the rain, you know, if the ball is going to skid on," Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, said before the second T20I. "But I reckon if conditions stayed dry, the way we set up our bowling plans and attack in terms of the way we wanted to go about it, it would have suited the venue quite well."

Some things we already know were merely reinforced. Abhishek Sharma remains one of the cleanest six-hitters in world cricket, clearing the ropes four times during his 24-ball 59. Shreyas Iyer continues to be one of India's best players of spin, using both the front and back foot expertly against Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid en route to a 47-ball 68, his maiden T20I fifty as India's captain. Shivam Dube once again underlined his finishing credentials, smashing an unbeaten 42 off just 21 deliveries to propel India to a formidable total.

India's management has also signalled that it is prepared to be patient with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, backing the top three that won the T20 World Cup. But the pressure is mounting on Sanju Samson, who has scores of 5, 0 and 1 on this UK tour. Having not kept wicket in either of the last two T20Is, he no longer has that added string to his bow.

England, meanwhile, have a long-term project of their own. James Coles, the 22-year-old Sussex allrounder who recently became the most expensive player in the inaugural Men's Hundred auction, is still waiting for his international debut. His inclusion in England's ODI squad for the India series suggests his opportunity may not be far away.

The hosts have reinforced their side with Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue for this Manchester T20I, and the fixture promises to offer a far clearer indication of where these teams stand.

When: Saturday, 4 July 2026 at 2:30 PM LOCAL / 7:00 PM IST
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
What to expect: Lots of runs. Of all venues on the roster for the series, this is the quickest for scoring, second only to Chester-le-Street. In the last men's T20I here, South Africa opted to bowl first in overcast conditions, only for England to rack up 304 for 2, powered by Phil Salt's 141 off 60 balls. Since 2025, the team batting first has won nine of 15 men's T20Is played here, with the average first-innings score standing at 178. There is a chance of light rain on match day, but it is expected to clear before the scheduled start.

England Playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue

• Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood dropped in favour of Archer and Tongue, who will be making his T20I debut.

India Probable XI: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi/Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

• Could be tempted to replace Ravi Bishnoi with an extra seamer in flat conditions.

Key Stats:

• England have not beaten India in a bilateral series across formats since 2019
• Samson's last 10 T20I scores away from home: 0, 0, 107, 0, 0, 109, 2, 5, 0, 1
• Abhishek Sharma has taken the fewest balls (785) among Full Member nations to hit 100 sixes in T20Is

What they said:
"Look, I don't think there's a lot of factors. I think we just need to also respect the fact that we've got the number one batter… Abhishek Sharma. Sanju was the player of the World Cup. He had a great IPL. So I think as a coaching staff, it's only fair to show faith and back your players. Yes, there's a young man knocking on the door and it's exciting, but I reckon for not just those two players at the top, but for the rest of the group, it's a good sign that we show that we back you guys" – Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, on making Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wait for a debut