'It's going to be a bat-vs-bat contest' - Aakash Chopra on India vs England T20I series
"If we look at the clash, it's not a light-weight clash. It's a heavy-weight clash, in which, if you hit a six, the other team can hit two," Chopra said.
India are set to face England in the first T20I of a five-match series at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22. The match will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Men in Blue defeated the Three Lions in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
The hosts, who have made some changes to the squad that toured South Africa in November 2024, will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. Notably, the return of pacer Mohammed Shami after a 14-month gap is one of the most major talking points. On the other hand, England will see skipper Jos Buttler relinquish his duties as a wicketkeeper and focus solely on captaincy.
Former Indian batter opener-turned-commentator, Aakash Chopra, expressed his thoughts on the game and the overall series. He believes that the series is likely to be a run-fest, with plenty of boundaries and big hits expected throughout.
"Let's prepare for the run-fest. Because a lot of runs will be made. See, it's a T20 format. In many places, there might be a role of dew because it's still cold in many places, you might see dew in the evening. It's possible that the team that will chase later will feel a little easier to chase because in T20’s it happens anyway. But If dew comes, then it's becomes even easier. So, from east to west, I think, batting will be at its best. It'll be fun. There'll be a lot of beating for the bowlers," Chopra said on Star Sports Game Plan.
There should be a lot of runs: Aakash Chopra
The former mentioned the strength of both teams' batting line-ups and called it a heavy-weight clash. He believes that while India consists some of the most destructive batters in world cricket, England has a similarly explosive batting unit.
"It's going to be a bat-vs-bat contest. Because batting is a heavy weight on both sides. If we look at the clash, it's not a light-weight clash. It's a heavy-weight clash, in which, if you hit a six, the other team can hit two. And it's possible that if the pitch is right, both innings will be equal. The tempo can be set with the first match, and the other team will also look at it from the same perspective," he added.
Indian batters including Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma, will look to set the tempo, while England’s Jos Buttler and Phil Salt will hope to take advantage of the conditions. Chopra analysed that the match could potentially see both teams finishing with high scores, especially if dew plays a role in making the ball easier to hit.
"You're also playing elevens. You're also worried about batting. That's why you play two or three proper bowlers; the rest are all-rounders. So, when both teams play the same type of cricket, almost a similar brand of cricket, then there should be a good clash. In my opinion, there should be a lot of runs," Chopra concluded.
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