India's predicted playing XI for first T20I v England

An ominous start to the Test series counted for little, as India trampled England 3-1 to bruise the visitors' confidence en route to the ICC World Test Championship final. Though England are condemned to watch India play the coveted final on their own turf, they have a much stronger chance of being worthy competitors in the upcoming five-match T20I rubber.

England's prioritisation of the shortest format means that once the lambasting of their Test rotation policy is done, they can revel in a full-strength squad for the T20I series. The hosts, too, unearthed a number of future stars via the Indian Premier League (IPL), and have a problem of plenty in the batting department in particular. Both sides will use this as a fine-tuning exercise for the T20 World Cup, to be held later this year in similar conditions.

India have been set back by the potential absence of T Natarajan, who went from being a net bowler to an all-format hero during India's tour of Australia. Varun Chakravarthy misses a potential India debut once again, due to fitness reasons. Despite these setbacks, there are several players who will be looking to impress on return to the team. Here is a look at India's predicted playing XI.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan returns to the top of the order.

India should look no further than their trusted ICC tournament duo, who has consistently given the team strong starts in the shorter formats. Rohit Sharma enters the first game high on confidence, having dominated the Test series on difficult batting wickets. Shikhar Dhawan turned a minor rough patch around to score back-to-back hundreds in the IPL, and scored more than 500 runs overall.

What about KL Rahul? The third-ranked T20 player in the world is far too good to miss out in this format. However, the solid show by the experienced duo pushes Rahul into the middle order, with the Karnataka lad being the obvious injury or form replacement for either of Rohit or Shikhar.

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Middle order: Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk)

Kohli and Rahul will be India's anchors in the middle order.

Virat Kohli has a point to prove, after a wretched run of form for India. Though he did put together some crucial contributions during the Test series, he was dismissed twice without scoring, and has now endured over a year without a century in any format. Although his place in any format is hardly under question, given his game-changing ability and captaincy record, one can expect Kohli to play with heightened intent.

India's batting riches in this format might just enable the skipper to play freely. At No. 4, KL Rahul will be expected to switch gears as the situation demands. He showcased his ability to bat through the innings during the IPL, and India could use more of the same. India's incumbent in this position, Shreyas Iyer, failed to impress against Australia and hence misses out. India will resist the temptation to hand Suryakumar Yadav a debut, although they will be keen to test him later in the series.

The man of the moment, Rishabh Pant has stormed his way back into contention after a brief omission from the shortest format. The swashbuckling left-hander also provides the left-handed variation in the middle order that puts pressure on opposing captains. Oozing with confidence after his Test heroics, Pant should return to the form that first set the IPL on fire.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur

Hardik Pandya's all-round abilities are a huge plus to India.

Hardik Pandya was the Man of the Series in India's last T20I series against Australia, despite playing as a pure batsman. Having recovered sufficiently from a back condition, Hardik's four overs of pace add tremendous stability to a bowling line-up that was often painfully exposed against Australia. His consistent big-hitting has facilitated his move up to No. 6 in the batting lineup.

Another star of the Test leg, Washington Sundar was superb with the bat, but will look to come good with the ball too. In a format that has been kind to him, Sundar might be used once again as a powerplay bowler to contain the batsmen. He also showed the ability to strike the ball well, which augurs well for India in case the likes of Pant and Pandya have an off-day.

Shardul Thakur made as many headlines with his bowling whenever picked, as he did with his crucial fifty in the Brisbane Test. In strong hitting form during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Thakur's consistent match-winning cameos grant him an entry into the all-rounders list. He will be looked upon to deliver in his primary suit - swinging the ball up front if needed, and bowling with variations in the middle overs.

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Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal will look to come good on favourable surfaces.

Despite enduring a middling IPL, Deepak Chahar would back himself to come good in home conditions. He was used as a powerplay bowler in the IPL, and that trend may continue with Hardik Pandya's bowling available in the middle overs. He also lengthens the batting to a degree, having shown his ability to bat on a few occasions in the IPL as well as in domestic cricket.

Indian fans will be thrilled to see Bhuvneshwar Kumar make his return to the team after a lengthy injury layoff. Absent since the middle of the IPL, Bhuvneshwar's return offers India the sort of control they lacked in the powerplay overs, along with the cushion of a few runs with the bat if needed.

Yuzvendra Chahal will be under enormous pressure after an indifferent show against Australia that eventually saw him dropped. With Axar Patel breathing down his neck for a place, and all-rounder Rahul Tewatia in the mix as well, Chahal will try to bring his best game to the fore. India do not have a lack of upcoming leg-spinners - Rahul Chahar too is waiting in the wings - and Chahal cannot be complacent in this series.