Should sooryavanshi

With Sanju Samson: India's white-ball tour of the United Kingdom reaches a defining juncture on Wednesday when they face England in the opening T20I of a five-match series at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.

After a disappointing start to the tour that saw them lose both matches against Ireland, Shreyas Iyer's side arrives in England with questions to answer and an opportunity to reset against one of the world's strongest T20 outfits.

The defeat in Ireland exposed several concerns, particularly with India's batting unit. Despite boasting a line-up packed with explosive stroke-makers, the visitors failed to build substantial partnerships or capitalise at key moments in both matches. With a longer series now ahead of them, India will hope those setbacks serve as lessons rather than lasting scars.