Mohammad Azharuddin, former India captain, took to Twitter on Friday to express his views about the upcoming five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series between India and England. The T20I series is set to begin on Friday and Azharuddin expects it to be a “cracker” of a contest between the two top-ranked sides in the world. Calling all the four newcomers a “gifted bunch”, Azharuddin feels — Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Tewatia — will grab the opportunity that has come their way with both hands.

Expecting a cracker of a T20I series. England can be an exciting opposition but I am sure the gifted bunch of @ishankishan51 @surya_14kumar @chakravarthy and @rahultewatia02 will grab the opportunity that has come their way. Best wishes to Team India @BCCI

— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) March 12, 2021

“Expecting a cracker of a T20I series. England can be an exciting opposition but I am sure the gifted bunch of @ishankishan51, @surya_14kumar, @chakravarthy and @rahultewatia02 will grab the opportunity that has come their way. Best wishes to Team India @BCCI,” Azharuddin tweeted.

All the five T20I matches will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

While India have added a few fresh faces in their T20I setup, England have called back most of their limited overs specialists in a bid to turn things around after suffering a 3-1 loss in the recently-concluded Test series.

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On the eve of the T20I series opener, India captain Virat Kohli confirmed that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be the preferred choice of openers for the hosts.

India will be without their spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the T20I series but the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in as a boost for the hosts as Kohli mentioned that the 31-year-old pacer’s experience will be crucial in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India later this year.