Toss England chose to bowl vs India

England have won the toss and opted to bowl in the opening T20I against an India side missing captain Harmanpreet Kaur at Chelmsford.

Smriti Mandhana, the acting India skipper, said Harmanpreet was merely being rested from this, the first of three games acting as the final competitive build-up for both teams. "She's resting today, no concerns at all, I think she'll be ready for the second match," Mandhana said at the toss, where it emerged that Nandani Sharma, the 24-year-old quick, would make her international debut.

With Harmanpreet out, Yastika Bhatia was expected to bat at No. 3 in her first T20I since April 2024. Bharti Fulmali will make her sixth appearance for India, batting at No. 5.

England also named a debutant in 18-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman, having made her ODI debut in the series against New Zealand earlier this month. Fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith makes way, while Corteen-Coleman will join Sophie Ecclestone in the attack. Seamer Lauren Bell returns after resting during Monday's third T20I against New Zealand.

Heather Knight, meanwhile, becomes England Women's most-capped player in history across all formats with 310 caps in all, going past Charlotte Edwards' 309.

Amy Jones was listed for a promotion to No. 3 in England's batting line-up with Maia Bouchier, who is not part of the World Cup squad, sitting out after playing against New Zealand with Nat Sciver-Brunt still injured and Danni Wyatt-Hodge poised to return from maternity leave from the second match of this series onwards.

Play was set to begin in warm, overcast conditions with a light breeze offering some respite from the humidity.

England: 1 Sophia Dunkley, 2 Alice Capsey, 3 Amy Jones, 4 Heather Knight, 5 Freya Kemp, 6 Dani Gibson, 7 Charlie Dean (capt), 8 Issy Wong, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Lauren Bell, 11 Tilly Corteen-Coleman

India: 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Yastika Bhatia, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Bharti Fulmali, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Arundhati Reddy, 9 N Shree Charani, 10 Nandani Sharma, 11 Kranti Gaud