Bazball vs Skyball! Ravichandran Ashwin snubs Washington Sundar, reveals India XI for 1st England T20I

Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has picked his preferred playing XI for the Men in Blue for the first T20I of the five-match series against England. Ravichandran Ashwin stated that the upcoming series will be a true test for India, adding that it is their first big challenge after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.

Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged India’s success against Bangladesh and South Africa but added that those series were no match for the Men in Blue. Ashwin said that Bangladesh was a weak opponent and South Africa fielded a second-string pace attack.

“Bangladesh was a weak team, while South Africa fielded a second-string pace attack, although their batting was excellent,” Ashwin said on “Ash Ki Baat.”

“We played against Bangladesh, but they are no match for India. I think that series was a mismatch. I think that series should not be considered a true reflection of our strength.”

“Against South Africa, they also rested many of their key players. They rested their bowlers for the Test series, and our batters capitalized by scoring big totals,” he added.

India Will Be Tested Against a High-Quality England Side - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin predicted that the upcoming series against England will be an exciting one. Ashwin highlighted the aggressive batting styles of both teams and the batting-friendly venues. He believes India’s new era of fearless cricket will be put to the test against England’s high-quality team.

“This new era of fearless cricket by India will be tested against a high-quality England side. This series will be a proper test of our abilities. Bazball vs Skyball will be an exciting spectacle. This series will also test India’s T20I depth,” Ashwin stated.

“All the venues are batting-friendly, with small boundaries and high-scoring grounds. Both teams are packed with powerful hitters, and it promises to be an entertaining series for fans who enjoy aggressive batting.”

Ravichandran Ashwin Picks India’s Playing XI for First T20I vs England

The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer picked the playing XI for India in the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens. He picked Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as openers. Ashwin also stated that there might be a selection dilemma between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.

“Sanju Samson has been exceptional as an opener. Tilak Verma also excelled in South Africa. 1 It will be interesting to see if Surya, Tilak, and Sanju can maintain their high strike rates against the strong English attack,” he said.

“The playing XI is fairly straightforward. There might be a toss-up between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, but at Eden, with dew likely to play a significant role, India might opt for Nitish.”

Ashwin’s India XI: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami

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