Abhishek, spinners display India's free-spirited method

Gambhir and Surya want team to push the envelope and the England series was a step in that direction

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

MUMBAI: Sandwiched between the marquee Test series in Australia and a big 50 overs ICC event - the Champions Trophy, it may seem that the India versus England T20I series was held out of the blue, but when looked at in isolation, each T20I series has its own importance.

With the next T20 World Cup a year away, every series from this point on is a chance for players to impress and stake a claim for a place in the global event because such is the competition for places in the side that the players know they simply can't afford a drop in performance.

The task is cut out for coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav in the lead up to the World Cup.

Following the retirement of stalwarts - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in 2024, the Indian team is a work in progress and the duo have to put in place all the pieces for the defending champions when they host the ICC event at home.

England proved to be a good contest to test the players' mettle. It was a tougher series than the 4-1 scoreline suggests. The visitors won the third game and ran India close in the second and fourth games. The first and fifth games were the only easy wins.

The coach and captain, however, were delighted by the team's all-round showing in the final game of the series, at the Wankhede, on Sunday. They went on the attack to amass 247/9 before dismissing England for 97.