Jos Butler Will Captain England In Three Match T20 Series Against India
Eoin Morgan did a fantastic job leading England in the white-ball format for close to 7 years. When the England vs. India T20 series was announced for July 2022, Morgan was expected to lead England once again in the three-match T20 series.
However, Morgan decided to stand down as captain as he believed it was time for England to find a new captain ahead of the T20 series against India and prepare for the T20 World Cup that is set to take place towards the end of the year.
Butler Set To Captain England In White Ball Cricket
England had two main options when it came to replacing Eoin Morgan. The first and most obvious option was Ben Stokes, who recently took over as test captain from Joe Root and has done a fantastic job in turning the sides of England’s test team and winning the test series against New Zealand 3-0.
England’s selectors decided they did not want to burden Stokes with the extra responsibility of captaining England in the shorter format of the game and decided to stick to the earlier plan of having a test captain and a T20/ODI captain. Since Jos Butler has captained England in the absence of Eoin Morgan, he was the obvious choice, and the selectors have named Butler the new white ball captain.
Rohit Sharma Expected To Lead In T20 Series
Rohit Sharma has been missing in action for the last few months. He missed out on the home series against South Africa as the BCCI decided to rest him along with a few other senior players after the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sharma also did not participate in the two-match T20 series against Ireland. He was expected to lead India in the 5th test match against England but caught COVID-19 a few days before the test and missed out.
Sharma is expected to be fully fit in time for the T20 series. This will be a big test for R Sharma, who has struggled with the bat for the last few months. If Sharma fails with the bat in the T20 series, his captaincy will come under the scanner.
England vs. India – T20 Series
Butler’s first challenge will be tough as England will take on India in a three-match T20 series. The first T20 is set to take place in Southampton on 07 July, followed by the second T20 at Birmingham on July 09 and the final T20 at Nottingham on July 10.
Expect the stadiums to be packed for all three T20 games as both sides will have a strong fan turnout. The weather for all three T20 games looks alright for now, but we will have to wait till we get closer to match day to see how things turn out.
England vs. India – T20 Series Betting Odds
Very few sides in the world can match India in the T20 format. England is one of those sides as they are one of the most powerful T20 sides in world cricket, with several global T20 stars that play regularly in the IPL.
Bookmakers have England as the betting favorites heading into the T20 series with odds of 1.8, while the visitors are underdogs with odds of 2.2. We expect those series odds to change depending on who wins the first T20 game.
England – Star T20 Performers To Watch Out For
If England wins against India, they will need some top T20 players to shine. Jos Butler was in excellent form in the 2022 IPL as he is definitely the most dangerous batter England has in the T20 line-up. He will have to perform with the bat and be on top of his game as he makes bowling changes and field placements.
Liam Livingstone showed Indian fans how dangerous a player he is in the T20 format; Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow will be the key batters, while Chris Jordan and Mark Wood will need to deliver with the ball.
India – Star T20 Performers, To Watch Out For
Like England, India will also look to skipper Rohit Sharma to lead from the front. Apart from Sharma, the focus will be on I Kishan and V Kohli, desperate to get some runs under his belt. The key bowlers for India during this T20 series are going to be veteran B Kumar, A Khan, and spinner Y Chahal.
