India, England reach Kolkata before T20I series opener at Eden Gardens
Reigning world champions India and two-time T20 World Cup winners England arrived in Kolkata in batches on Saturday evening, gearing up for the opening T20I at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. With a crisp chill in the air, the city is set to embrace cricket fever once again as the iconic venue hosts its first T20I in nearly three years.
The white-ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, will serve as a key preparation for the Champions Trophy, set to commence on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
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England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, fresh off his SA20 2025 stint with Pretoria Capitals, was the first to check in, flying directly from South Africa. The rest of the Jos Buttler-led England squad, who had been training in Dubai, arrived later in the evening.
On the Indian side, players trickled in from their respective hometowns. Rising stars Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh were amongst the earliest arrivals, touching down in Kolkata at 4:30 PM. Captain Suryakumar Yadav arrived later in the evening alongside Tilak Varma, who shared a snapshot of their journey on Instagram. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and other squad members followed suit.
Marking his return to international cricket after 14 months, pacer Mohammed Shami, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, was scheduled to arrive around midnight, according to the local team manager.
Both teams will have three training sessions ahead of the series opener. England is set for an afternoon session on Sunday, while India will train in the evening.
Following the Eden Gardens clash, the teams will travel to Chennai for the second T20I on January 25, with the five-match series concluding in Mumbai on February 2. The ODIs will follow in Nagpur (February 6), Cuttack (February 9), and Ahmedabad (February 12).
