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England to bowl in T20 opener against India
AHMEDABAD, India, March 12, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – England skipper Eoin Morgan
won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the first of the five-match
Twenty20 showdown on Friday.
England, fielding a dramatically different side to the one beaten 3-1 in
the Tests that ended last week, included fast bowler Mark Wood for the game
at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
“It looks a good wicket with a covering of grass. A little bit of dew
later on,” Morgan said at the toss.
Both sides wanted to avoid bowling second when the ball is more slippery.
“It is going to be an evenly-poised contest. The opportunity to play in
India against a very strong side with the World Cup later this year, we’re
really excited,” Morgan added.
India rested vice-captain Rohit Sharma for the first two games. KL Rahul
is expected to open the batting with Shikhar Dhawan.
Pace bowler Bhuveneshwar Kumar returns for his first T20 international
since December 2019.
Captain Virat Kohli said his side had been planning for batting first “in
conditions where bowling in the dew becomes a factor. It’s a good way to
prepare for the World Cup.”
The T20 World Cup is to be held in India in October and November.
India: Virat Kohli (capt), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh
Pant, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,
Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Jonny
Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid,
Mark Wood
Umpires: KN Ananthapadmanabhan (IND), Nitin Menon (IND)
TV umpire: Virender Sharma (IND)
Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
BSS/AFP/SSS/2016 hrs