ENG vs IND: Combined best XI from T20I series

The just-concluded T20Is between England and India saw the Men In Blue seal the series with an emphatic 2-1 margin and register their second straight T20I series win on English soil, including the 2018 tour. While the Indian team decimated the hosts without breaking a sweat in the first two games, England showed great commitment to finish with a consolation 17-run win.

However, it was a hard-fought victory for the hosts as they were given a run for their money despite posting a mammoth total of 215/7. Courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav’s swashbuckling century, it appeared at one point that India could well register 3-0 win comfortably. However, his dismissal was eventually the turning point of the contest.

While the series witnessed maximum dominance from India, there were players from both sides who made tremendous impact with individual performances. Here’s a look at the best-combined England-India XI from the series:

Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda might have got only one chance in the series, but he made the most of his opportunities by scoring some precious runs in the first game in Southampton. Hooda scored 33 runs off just 17 balls under immense pressure and that was one of the knocks which played a key role in India posting a match-winning total of 198/8.

It is to be noted that Deepak Hooda had opened the innings during the two-match T20I series against Ireland registering scores of an unbeaten 47 and 104 to finish with 151 runs in the series, knocking at the doors of the selectors as they start their auditions for the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup later this year.

Suryakumar Yadav Dawid Malan

Suryakumar Yadav was arguably the most consistent batter in the series. While he scored a quickfire 39 in the first match, he was dismissed for 15 after getting a good start in the second. Nonetheless, Yadav kept India’s hopes alive during a 200+chase in the final game with India reduced to 31/3.

He single-handedly tormented the English bowlers and in the process registered his maiden T20I ton. The Mumbai cricketer brought India to the cusp of victory by scoring a blistering 55-ball 117 at an outstanding strike rate of 212.7. However, he was dismissed in the penultimate over as the Men in Blue fell short by 17 runs.

While Dawid Malan did get starts in the first two games with scores of 21 and 19, he could not convert them into impactful scores. However, the southpaw made the most of his chances in the third game where he showed fearless intent taking the Indian bowlers to the cleaners at regular intervals. He top-scored for the Three Lions with 77 runs from 39 deliveries at an impressive strike rate of 197.4 that propelled them to 215/7.

Hardik Pandya, Liam Livingstone

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya roared back to form in the first T20I against England with a Player of the Match all-round performance, scoring a 33-ball 51 and registering figures of 4/33. However, Pandya could not maintain the consistency in the next game, scoring just 12 and finishing with 1/29. He was not included for the third game.

Liam Livingstone, who impressed one and all in the IPL 2022, was off-colour in the first two games of the series. While he failed to trouble the scorers in the first T20I, he went back after scoring 15 in the next. The power-hitter’s wickets column also remained empty in all three outings as he failed to contain the Indian batters.

The English all-rounder rediscovered his form in the third match where he remained unbeaten on 42 runs from 29 deliveries. Livingstone’s finishing touches made it possible for England to score well over 200.

Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali

Ravindra Jadeja did not play the first game, but in the all-important second match, he was India’s savior with the bat as he scored an unbeaten 46 runs from 29 deliveries that helped India post a challenging total of 170/8. While he went wicketless with the ball in the last two matches, the southpaw’s crucial knock in the second game was good enough to help India take an unassailable 2-0 lead as the Men in Blue registered an emphatic 49-run win.

Star all-rounder Moeen Ali also showed a good amount of consistency. He kept England in the hunt in the first game, scoring 36 runs from 20 deliveries. He followed it up with 35 in the next. He was really impressive with the ball as well, finishing with three wickets from as many games.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Richard Gleeson

Yuzvendra Chahal has been on a roll with the ball in hand in the last few months and he carried his splendid form. He picked two wickets each in the first two games and despite bowling series-winning spells, the wrist-spinner was rested for the third game.

Richard Gleeson was the talk of the town during the second T20I where he accounted for the likes of Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant on debut to finish with figures of 3/15 from his four overs, including a maiden. What made the occasion even more special is that the speedster had got to don his maiden national jersey aged 34. In the third game, the senior pacer picked up the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja to finish with figures of 1/31 from his four overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Reece Topley

Bhuvneshwar Kumar succeeded in getting the number of England’s new limited-overs skipper Jos Buttler twice and even made explosive opener Jason Roy look clueless against his swing. Kumar finished with four wickets in the series with his best spell being 3/15 in the second match that rightfully earned him the Player of the Match award. The UP cricketer was rested for the final game.

Reece Topley was one of England’s most consistent bowler in the T20I series. While he did not feature in the second game, Topley made the most of his chances when he got to play the final match as he showcased a Player of the Match performance with figures of 3/22 to help England register a 17-run win.

Here’s the Combined XI from England vs India T20I series

Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Dawid Malan, Hardik Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal, Richard Gleeson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Reece Topley