India opt to bat in 1st T20I vs England; Varun Chakaravarthy returns, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waits for debut
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening T20I of the five-match series against England at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. The visitors have made one notable change from the squad that toured Ireland, with Varun Chakaravarthy returning after recovering from a foot injury. Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, meanwhile, will have to wait for his international debut as India opted for an experienced playing XI featuring three specialist spinners.
Speaking after the toss, Iyer said the team had moved on from the disappointing Ireland series and was eager to make a fresh start.
Shreyas Iyer (India captain): "We'll bat first. It's a great opportunity for us. My second series as a captain, pretty much excited. Got what we wanted and had a practice session yesterday to acclimatize. The Ireland series is history. There's a decent amount of grass on the wicket, so it's difficult to predict how it'll play, but our intent will remain high. We're going with three spinners."
Speaking after the toss, Iyer said the team had moved on from the disappointing Ireland series and was eager to make a fresh start.
Shreyas Iyer (India captain): "We'll bat first. It's a great opportunity for us. My second series as a captain, pretty much excited. Got what we wanted and had a practice session yesterday to acclimatize. The Ireland series is history. There's a decent amount of grass on the wicket, so it's difficult to predict how it'll play, but our intent will remain high. We're going with three spinners."
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