Brendon McCullum begins his new role as England's white-ball coach in India and the first T20I takes place in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Sanju Samson to be India Top Batter in T20 series - 10/3
Brendon McCullum has transformed England's style of play in Test cricket and he is aiming to do the same in limited-overs cricket in his new role as white-ball coach.
McCullum's ultra-aggressive approach earned the nickname 'Bazball' and he has named an exciting team for the first T20I against world champions India.
Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are fit and firing along with young all-rounder Jacob Bethell, who has made his England debut in all three formats within the last six months.
England's last T20 clash with India ended in disappointment as they crumbled to a 68-run defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Guyana last June.
India went on to lift the trophy, winning a tense final against South Africa, who needed just 30 runs from the final 30 balls of their run-chase with six wickets in hand.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja all retired from T20Is after that triumph and a new-look India side won 3-1 in South Africa in November.
Young batter Tilak Varma staked his claim for a top-order spot, scoring 280 runs in four innings, and opener Sanju Samson also caught the eye with a couple of dazzling centuries.
Samson has batted in every position from number one to seven during his 37-match T20I career and he will be desperate to nail down the opening role at the age of 30.
He has scored three centuries in his last five T20Is, including 111 off just 47 balls against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in October, and is a tempting bet to be India's top batter in the series.
A hundred to be scored in the first T20I - 6/1
The series starts at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders were involved in plenty of high-scoring contests last season.
Sunil Narine and England captain Jos Buttler both scored centuries in KKR's clash with Rajasthan Royals and Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 108 not out as Punjab Kings chased down 262 with eight balls to spare in April 2024.
Given those batting feats, and the fact that India have made five individual centuries in their last five T20Is, it may be worth backing any player to score a hundred in the first T20I.
India posted at least 184 on the last three occasions that they batted first in a T20I at Eden Gardens and England's Buttler has scored six centuries in his last three IPL campaigns.
Phil Salt over 33.5 Player Performance points - 5/6
Hosts India are 8/13 to make a winning start to the series but England's Phil Salt should also feel right at home in Kolkata.
Salt, who is set to open the batting and keep wicket for the tourists, played a starring role in KKR's IPL success last season and was particularly prolific at Eden Gardens.
His seven IPL career innings in Kolkata have yielded 350 runs at a strike-rate of 185 per 100 balls and he passed 50 in four of those knocks.
Salt's local knowledge makes him an appealing bet to pick up 34 or more performance points as his four innings in November's T20 series in the West Indies included 103 not out from 54 balls and 55 off 36.
He made a duck in the second match against the Windies but still mustered 35 performance points thanks to a catch and a stumping.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.