T20 World Cup Match Prediction: India versus England Warm-Up. Who Will Win?

Two of the favourites for the 2021 T20 World Cup, England and India, are going to play a warm-up match versus each other.

Both of these sides have plenty of depth in their squads, but both sides have taken a very different approach when it comes to the types of players they have selected. India has opted for plenty of spin, while England feel that pace is the way to go. Who will come out on top in this warm-up match? Read on to find out our match prediction.

India Team Preview

All of the players selected for India have been playing at the 2021 IPL in UAE that recently finished, so they should definitely be used to the conditions. We feel that India's main focus in this match will be to try out some fringe players so that they can get a very good idea as to who their playing XI will be in the tournament. Players such as Ravi Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Virat Kohli should all play.

The Indians have a strong batting lineup with plenty of depth, but ensuring that Kohli and Rohit Sharma are at the top of their game has got to be one of the priorities from these warm-up games. It is also likely that this is a shootout between Rahul Chahar and Ashwin for the third spinner spot. Since their fast bowlers have had a lot of cricket lately, it would not be too much of a surprise if Indian decided to give them a rest.

England Team Preview

We believe that England will opt to play their best eleven for this game since they will want their best players to get used to the UAE conditions that they will face.

When it comes to their batting unit, England are a very dangerous side thanks to the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Jason Roy. There are not going to be many other teams at this World Cup that have the fire power that England have, but it remains to be seen as to whether they can succeed in spin-friendly conditions.

Where Moeen Ali bats is a dilemma that the England coaching staff have. He is clearly at his best when he bats at number three, but it just does not seem that this position is available to him at this moment. It is likely that he will come into bat at number five.

England's bowling unit has two express bowlers that can cause India plenty of problems and these are Mark Wood and Tymal Mills. Not only does Mills have express pace, but he also has plenty of variation, which will definitely come in handy on the UAE wickets. Adil Rashid, who has been one of England's best bowlers over the last few years, will lead the spin bowling attack.

Toss Prediction

The captain that wins the toss will want to bowl first because there is the possibility of dew falling in the second half of the match. Nobody likes fielding when there is dew about as the ball gets wet, making it tricky to bowl with as well as catch. Batting second should certainly be seen as an advantage here.

Pitch Conditions

There will be no rain and the pitch will be somewhat of a mystery until we have seen a number of matches played on it. However, early reports from the stadium seem to suggest that it is going to be a good batting surface that will not offer a lot of spin. If this is the case, then that has to play into England's hands.

Our Match Prediction

This is a tough one to call, but we would put our money on England to win the game. There is not a huge difference between the two teams, but we feel that India will experiment a bit and will not field their best eleven. Also, if there is no spin on offer, then this will suit the English players.

Our Match Prediction: