England v India predictions & free T20 cricket betting tips: Bank on new skipper

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for England v India in Thursday's first Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 6pm Thursday

Best bets

Jos Buttler top England runscorer
2pts 5-2 general

Harshal Patel top India wicket-taker
2pts 9-2 Betfred

Team news

England
Jos Buttler has succeeded Eoin Morgan as limited-overs captain. Batsman Harry Brook and leg-spinner Matt Parkinson should feature and 34-year-old Lancashire seamer Richard Gleeson is hoping for a belated international debut.

India
Test players Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will be rested for the first T20 but Rohit Sharma, who missed the defeat at Edgbaston due to Covid, has been cleared to play.

Match preview

England's record-breaking feats in Test and ODI cricket this summer mean the Twenty20 team have plenty to live up to when they start their three-match series against India at the Rose Bowl.

None of the players who powered England to a record victory target of 377 in this week's Test match at Edgbaston are available for the T20 series but new captain Jos Buttler should be full of confidence after a couple of astounding ODI innings against the Netherlands last month.

Buttler's unbeaten 162 off 77 balls helped England rack up 498-4, the highest total in ODI history, against the Dutch and he signed off that series with 86 not out off 64 deliveries.

Succeeding Eoin Morgan, the inspirational innovator behind England's white-ball success, is a big job but Buttler is a big player and he has every chance of starting with a bang at one of his favourite venues.

The opener is a worthy 5-2 favourite to top-score for England, having enjoyed a prolific Indian Premier League campaign before annihilating the Dutch in Amstelveen.

He made 85 at the Rose Bowl on his Test debut against India in 2014 and his last three T20 international scores at the Hampshire venue were 77 not out, 44 and 73 not out.

Buttler also cracked 110 not out from 55 deliveries in his most recent ODI at the Rose Bowl, against Pakistan in 2019, and the new skipper should be backed to lead from the front.

India expect to welcome back Rohit Sharma, who missed the Test due to coronavirus, although several of their Test stars will be rested for the first T20.

The depth of T20 talent in Indian cricket means a competitive contest is still likely with IPL-winning captain Hardik Pandya and veteran finisher Dinesh Karthik forming a dangerous middle-order.

Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have dazzled with the bat in the IPL and India's fast-bowling stocks are arguably more impressive than those of injury-hit England, who have called up uncapped 34-year-old Richard Gleeson for this series.

Ace death bowler Harshal Patel looks too big at 9-2 to be India's leading wicket-taker in the opening game. No player took more than his 32 wickets in the 2021 IPL and he has made a fine start to his international career, claiming seven wickets in 12.1 overs in June's home series against South Africa.

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