ENG vs IND, 2018: Best India T20I XI from all England tours

The T20 format is one of the most thrilling formats of the game. The shortest format of the game provides the fans with some entertainment. It is also adored by many and fans thoroughly enjoy it. The Indian team and the England team are one of the best T20I teams at the moment. Both these teams are playing some great cricket at the moment. These two teams will be facing off each other in a 3-match T20I series that will begin this July. This series is expected to provide the fans with some great entertainment. Also, the Indian team doesn’t have a great record in England. They lost all the three T20Is they played in the country thus far. The first-ever game played between the two nations was back in 2009 as a part of the T20I WC. The other two games were played as a part of the 2011 and 2014 series. The Indian team will want to definitely win a game in England this time around. But, here is the best India T20I XI from all the England tours which has the capability to defeat England in England. 1. Ajinkya Rahane Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Twitter) Ajinkya Rahane is known to be one of the most technically sound batsmen. He has got great temperant and adjusts to alien conditions very quickly. In fact, his records overseas are much better than many of the players. Rahane has been the backbone of the Indian Test team for quite some time now. However, his place in the limited-overs formats hasn’t been stable enough. Rahane isn’t a part of either the T20I side or the ODI side this time around. He has struggled in the IPL this year and also failed to maintain the consistency in the previous tours. In the two T20Is he has played in England, Rahane has scored 69 runs which is the second-highest and also, his strike rate is an amazing 160. 2. Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shikhar Dhawan enjoys playing in England. On multiple occasion, we have seen him doing well there. He has done decently well in both the Champions Trophy tournaments that were played in England. He was also good enough in the 2014 tour. Shikhar Dhawan doing well will be crucial for India in this tour. Also, another positive sign is that he has been in some great form in the recent times. His form in the IPL was good and also scored a Test century recently against Afghanistan. Dhawan has only played one game in England in 2014. He managed to score 33 runs in that game in 28 balls at a strike rate close to 118. 3. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter) Indian skipper Virat Kohli is in some unbelievable form and has stunned everyone with his consistency in the recent times. However, he has struggled with the red ball in England. But, he has done well while playing the white ball and will look to carry on with the good work this series. Moreover, four years is a very long gap and Virat is a completely different player right now. Also, Virat is the leading run scorer in T20Is in England for India. He has played two games in 2011 and 2014 and has scored 70 runs in the total of 46 balls that he faced. Virat will be eager to continue with the good work in this tour as well and help India bag some important wins. 4. Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh. (Photo by Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images) This spot was up for grabs between Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj and Rahul Dravid. These three players have almost a similar record in England. Rahul Dravid has played his only T20I game in England back in 20011 when he scored 31 off 21. Gambhir scored 26 off 26 in 2009. But, since Yuvraj is known to be a better T20 player and fits into the dynamics of this XI, he cuts through the other two players. Yuvraj, when in full swing is an absolute treat to watch and can take the game away from the opposition within no time. Yuvi is an absolutely destructive T20 player and can clear the ropes with ease. Although he is in the twilight of his career, he is one of the better T20 players in India. He has played just one game back in 2009 and has scored 17 runs off 9 balls in that game. 5. MS Dhoni (C & WK) MS Dhoni of India. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images) MS Dhoni has a better record in England than most of the other players. He has been the backbone of this Indian team for quite some time now and is the only player other than Suresh Raina to have played all the T20Is in England. Further, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman is playing some of his best cricket currently and was highly impressive in the IPL. He is back hitting those big sixes, finishing games and is reminding fans of the MS Dhoni that he was a few years earlier. MS is the third highest scorer in T20Is in England. He has scored 65 runs in 3 games he played at a strike rate of 141. Dhoni will be crucial in this series given that he was a part of England tours many times now. His experience and insights into the conditions will be invaluable for the youngsters. 6. Suresh Raina Suresh Raina. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Suresh Raina is one of the best T20 players India has ever produced. He has scored 4,985 runs in IPL thus far, which is the highest all-time. Although he was in and out of the Indian team for some time, he has recently made his comeback. He was picked only in the T20I side initially. But, luckily, since Ambati Rayudu failed the fitness test, he has also made his break into the ODI side. Being the kind of player that he is, Raina will make it to most of the Indian T20 XI’s. Also, he has got a lot to prove. England is a place where Raina’s flaws were exposed to the world when the English bowlers pepped him up with short balls. Hence, going back now, Raina will be looking to prove his worth. He has scored 60 runs in 3 games at a strike rate of 136 in England. Further, Raina is the highest run scorer for India in T20Is against England. 7. Yusuf Pathan Yusuf Pathan. (Photo by ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images) Yusuf Pathan is known to be a T20 specialist. He can be absolutely brutal on his day and will take the role of the finisher in this XI. Yusuf is capable of clearing any fence with ease. Also, he comes in handy as a part-time spinner and was impressive in the IPL 2018. Yusuf just played one T20I for India in England back in 2009 and remained unbeaten on 33 in that game. Also, he has the highest strike rate in T20Is for an Indian batsman in England. Yusuf’s 33 runs came in just 17 balls with a strike rate of 194. However, this efforts went in vain as India lost that game by 3 runs. 8. Ravindra Jadeja Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Ravindra Jadeja has been out of favour in the Indian limited-overs side for quite some time now. The leg-spinners duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has replaced him and Ashwin in the side. However, Jadeja still continues to be one of the most important spinners in the Test team. Jadeja is one of the most successful spinners for India in Tests. He is the joint-highest wicket-taker with 3 wickets in 2 games. His average is about 20 and economy rate is just above 7.50. Also, Jadeja can contribute with the bat if required which adds more value to the side. 9. Harbhajan Singh Harbhajan Singh of India. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) Harbhajan Singh was India’s first choice spinner for quite a long time. However, he hasn’t been as effective in the recent times which led to him being axed from the side. He still continues to play domestic cricket and the IPL but hasn’t done enough to make it into the national side. The 37-year-old has played 28 T20Is for India and only managed to pick 25 wickets. However, he was highly effective in the only T20 international that he played in England. The ‘Turbunator’ picked 3 wickets in the game he played in 2009 and conceded 30 runs in that game. Bhajji was replaced by Ravichandran Ashwin later on. 10. Mohammed Shami Mohammed Shami. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images) Mohammed Shami is constantly making the headlines with both his personal and professional lives. He was pulled out of the recently concluded one-off Test against Afghanistan as he failed to clear the yo-yo test. His selection for the England tour is also under the cloud at the moment and he has to work really hard to make it back into the side. Shami has played a T20I game against England during the 2014 tour. Although he was quite expensive in that game, Shami picked some useful wickets. The likes of Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler were dismissed by Shami. Morgan looked extremely dangerous in that game. He scored 71 off just 31 balls. India lost that game by 3 runs. 11. Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan. (© PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) Zaheer Khan is one of the legends in Indian cricket. He was once regarded as the ‘Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling’ by former skipper MS Dhoni. Zaheer has the ability to swing the ball both the ways and is a nightmare for left-handers. Being a left-hander is an added advantage as he can angle the ball across the right-handers. The English conditions could be ideal for a bowler like Zaheer who enjoys the swing. Zaheer played the game in 2009 and bowled 3 overs. He conceded 26 runs and picked the important wicket of Paul Collingwood. His experience of playing in England on many occasions will also come in handy.

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