• Source:JND
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IND vs ENG 1st T20I: Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the upcoming series against England will be a tough challenge for Men in Blue led by Suryakumar Yadav.

After a long Test season, India will step into the white-ball format, starting from Wednesday at the iconic Eden Gardens with a five-match T20I series against England.

Earlier, India have registered convincing victories against Bangladesh and South Africa in the recent T20I series.

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

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“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.

Ashwin is expecting a thrilling series against England, thanks to the selection of venues and the aggressive batting styles employed by both teams.

“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 said.

“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," he added.

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Meanwhile, Ashwin predicted India's probable playing XI for the first T20I against England, which was scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens. A

“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.

"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,” he said.