England vs India 2018: 5 player battles to watch out for

After smashing Ireland in the two-match T20I series, the Indian team now awaits a sterner challenge in the form of the England cricket team in Manchester.

The three-match T20I series promises to be an interesting affair with both teams having almost all the bases covered.

The England team look like a marauding One Day outfit and their recent series against a hapless Australian side drives home the point that their a ruthless team in home conditions with a white ball in the vicinity.

India, on the other hand, were dealt a big blow with the injury to Jasprit Bumrah, but they have adequate replacements to get the job done on the day.

On flat docile pitches, the team which bats better will stand on the winner's podium at the end of the day.

Here in this slider, we take a look at five player battles which might well define the course of not only the first T20I but also the series as a whole.

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#5 Siddarth Kaul vs Eoin Morgan

With the injury to Jasprit Bumrah, Siddarth Kaul might get three more games in England to prove his mettle. He generally bowls in the middle phase of the innings and if his IPL form is anything to go by, looks to pick up wickets instead of plugging the runs and against a rampant English side, this will hold him in good stead.

However, the England captain Eoin Morgan would look to take charge of proceedings during the aforementioned period and he has the ability to plunder the inexperience of Kaul. He has also been in sparkling form in the recent past and has been the finisher for England over the past twelve months.

How the middle and death overs pan out might well determine how the series is set up.

#4 David Willey vs Rohit Sharma

After a mediocre IPL, Rohit Sharma was back to his best against Ireland when he plundered 97 in the first T20I. He walked in at number four in the second match and drew a blank, but should be back at the top in Manchester.

However, in David Willey, he will face his biggest threat as he is susceptible against left-arm swing, more so early in his innings.

Willey shapes the ball back in which makes Rohit a contender for leg before and he has to be watchful against the new ball.

#3 Yuzvendra Chahal vs Alex Hales

For all his flamboyance and panache, Alex Hales generally struggles against the spinning ball and in Yuzvendra Chahal, he will be up against one of the best leg-spinners in the world at the moment.

Hales generally likes pace on the ball and this is where the wily Chahal can trump him. Not only does he vary his pace and length, he always looks to pick up wickets which is a crucial element to him being Kohli's bowler in the powerplays.

#2 Adil Rashid vs Virat Kohli

For some strange inexplicable reason, Virat Kohli kept getting dismissed against the spinners in the Indian Premier League and perhaps Eoin Morgan would look to attack him with Adil Rashid.

The leg-spinner has been one of the key wicket-takers for England in coloured clothing and very often breaks open the opposition batting side.

However, in Kohli he still has the best white ball player and Rashid for all his skills would still be under the pump.

#1 Kuldeep Yadav vs Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler is perhaps the most in-form batsman in the world at the moment and he just cannot stop scoring runs at a belting pace right at the top of the order.

He enjoys pace and is finding the middle of the bat every time he walks out to bat, but Kohli might want to challenge him with Kuldeep Yadav, who is proving to be difficult decipher with each innings.

After bamboozling the South African batsmen, he wreaked havoc against Ireland and is the bowler who is control of his game. He will be the biggest threat for England, and Buttler will be the same for India.

Perhaps, the duel which might set the template for the rest of the series.