IND vs ENG 2025: England name Playing XI for first T20I

England captain Jos Buttler has announced their Playing XI for the first T20I against India, which will be played on Wednesday, January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The wicketkeeping duties will be taken over by Phil Salt in the series, as confirmed earlier by head coach Brendon McCullum.

Buttler will be seen entering the field as a specialist batter throughout the series, as Salt will be the designated wicketkeeper-batter.

Speaking of the Kolkata game, Salt will open the innings alongside left-handed Ben Duckett, with the skipper poised to bat one down. The middle order includes the likes of Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton. Livingstone will take over the duties as the secondary spinner to seasoned campaigner Adil Rashid.

Speaking of the pace battery, speedsters Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be spearheading the attack, while Gus Atkinson will be the third seamer. All-rounder Overton is also expected to chip in with a spell or two.

Kolkata's historic venue has been known to provide a batting-friendly pitch of late, however, runs have never come easy at the venue in international T20Is so far, and posting anything over 180 in the first innings is expected to be a winning total. In fact, no team has ever lost after posting a total of 180-plus at this ground. As a result, Buttler & Co are expected to bat first if they win the toss against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side.

Speaking of the head-to-head records between India and England, the hosts hold a slight upper hand with 13 wins from 24 games, whereas, 11 have gone in favour of The Three Lions. The data doesn't show a huge difference, and hence, an electrifying contest can be expected when the teams square off on Wednesday.

England Playing XI for 1st T20I vs India

Phil Salt (WK), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (C), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood